John Boozman

Mr. BOOZMAN

Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Chairman Filner, Chairwoman Herseth Sandlin and Ranking Member Buyer for bringing H.R. 1168, as amended, the Veterans Retraining Act of 2009, to the floor. I introduced this bill to encourage veterans to enroll in job training programs offered by the Department of Labor that train participants for jobs in the new economy. In 2002, Congress enacted the Jobs for Veterans Act which gave covered veterans priority access to job training programs sponsored by the Department of Labor. Unfortunately, just as in other sectors of the workforce, veterans too have been forced to join the lines of the unemployed. According to Bureau of Labor Statistics data for September 2009, 990,000 veterans were out of work, for an unemployment rate of 8.3 percent, the highest in decades. Of that number, nearly 600,000 were between the ages of 35 and 64, the years of prime earning power as well as peak financial obligations. These is also the group of veterans who no longer have access to any VA education or training programs. So while veterans may have priority access to training programs, the need to provide some income to the family while training is the prime goal of H.R. 1168, as amended, To meet that goal, H.R. 1168, as amended, authorizes $100 million per year to provide a living stipend and moving assistance to veterans who have been unemployed for at least 4 months, who are not eligible for training or education under title 38, and are enrolled in a U.S. Department of Labor retraining program. The amount of the living stipend would mirror that given to post-9/11 GI Bill participants. The moving assistance is intended to help a newly trained veteran who lives in an area of high unemployment to move to an area where there is a demand for the veteran's skills. It is my hope that H.R. 1168, as amended, will be a step towards providing veterans with new skill sets and the ability to locate where the jobs are plentiful. I want to especially thank Ms. Herseth Sandlin for her help and leadership on this bill and just in general her leadership on our subcommittee. I also appreciate Chairman Filner and Ranking Member Buyer for bringing this bill forward to the floor. As always, I want to thank the staff for your efforts. We don't do that enough. We really appreciate your efforts on behalf of our veterans and the tremendous job that you are doing.

Mr. BOOZMAN

Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H. Res. 773, a resolution expressing the sense of the House of Representatives with respect to the valiant service of the United States Submarine Force during World War II. As we approach Veterans Day, it is fitting that the House honor Americans who serve their country under the most unique of circumstances. Earlier this year, we honored those servicemembers who participated in the D-day operations. Yet there is another group who faced incredible challenges and danger to ensure that victory would be possible for the United States and our allies during World War II, the United States Submarine Force. Mr. Speaker, it is a special individual who will climb into a tightly confined space and willingly go deep underwater to serve the Nation. Today's nuclear submarines are a high-tech marvel, able to submerge for months at a time, cruise beneath the polarized caps, and carry strategic and tactical weapons of unbelievable power. But that was not always the case. The first submarine used for military purposes was built in 1776 by David Bushnell. His Turtle was a one-man wooden submarine powered by hand-turned propellers and was used during the American Revolution against British warships. During the Civil War, the use of submarines came into play again when the Union fielded the French-designed Alligator, which was the first U.S. Navy submarine to feature compressed air for air supply. The Confederacy also fielded several human-powered submarines, including the Hunley in Charleston Harbor. Submarines saw much greater use during World War I, but it wasn't until World War II that the technological development of submarines enabled them to become a capable and feared weapons system. During the Second World War, 314 submarines served in the United States Navy, including many built at the end of World War I. This force comprised less than 2 percent of the U.S. Navy ships, but they sank over 30 percent of Japan's navy, including eight aircraft carriers. More important, American submarines virtually strangled the Japanese economy by sinking almost 5 billion tons of shipping, over 60 percent of the Japanese merchant marine. Serving in many of the hardest fought battles of the war as part of the ``silent service,'' the submarine crews rescued unlucky carrier pilots who ended up in the sea, like the future President of the United States, George H.W. Bush. But victory at sea did not come cheaply. The Submarine Force lost 52 boats and 3,506 men during World War II. Just a few weeks ago, I had the good fortune of meeting a number of our World War II veterans from northwest Arkansas as they left the airport to visit Washington, DC, as part of the Honor Flight program. These brave men, many of whom were just boys at the time, answered the call of duty and changed the course of history through their selfless action and love for their country. It was also a great honor to be able to attend the decommissioning ceremony for World War II Submarine Veterans, Diamond Chapter, hosted by the USS Snook Base of the United States Submarine Veterans in Rogers, Arkansas, last month. There, I had the privilege to recognize many of Arkansas' surviving submarine veterans and thank them for their efforts firsthand. A special thanks goes to former submariner Pete Rathmell for making the event happen. Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank Chairman Filner and Ranking Member Buyer for the opportunity to honor the ``silent service'' of World War II. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Mr. Sestak for his leadership in working with me on this legislation, and express my appreciation for the support of all the other cosponsors of the resolution. I urge all of my colleagues to support H. Res. 773.

Mr. BOOZMAN

Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. Speaker, don't be fooled by the introduction of the newest health care bill supported by Speaker Pelosi. It is no more than the same bill millions of Americans spoke against in August but reintroduced with a different name and a different number. No matter what it is called, the disguise hasn't tricked the residents of the Third District of Arkansas. Over the weekend, I received over 200 e-mails, and the overwhelming majority of those are from my constituents who are very much in opposition to this plan. Instead of creating taxes, entitlement programs and redtape to reform health care, we need to let families and businesses buy health insurance across State lines; allow small businesses to pool together to buy health insurance at a lower cost; and end lawsuits that contribute to the costs because of doctors being forced to practice defensive medicine. Mr. Speaker, we can and need to do a better job for the American people. Let's create real reform, not more problems to fix down the road.

Mr. BOOZMAN

Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. Speaker, we need to contain the cost of health care to make it more affordable for all Americans, but we cannot do this by cutting the services to our senior citizens. We have the responsibility to ensure that we don't harm the health care they currently have through Medicare. But the legislation supported by the White House, Speaker Pelosi and Senator Reid doesn't protect that care. Included in this health care plan is more than $162 billion in cuts to Medicare Advantage. More than 25,700 residents of Arkansas' Third Congressional District are enrolled in this program, and I know the positive impact it makes in the lives of Arkansans and all American seniors. This is bad practice to cut from critical services like Medicare Advantage and something that I cannot support. Rather than cut services, we need to examine how we can save money by getting rid of the waste and fraud in Medicare. Mr. Speaker, we can craft a bill that allows access to quality and affordable health care without sacrificing services to our seniors.

Mr. BOOZMAN

Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my concern for raising the national debt limit. Last week, the U.S. Department of the Treasury reported that 2009 was the worst fiscal year in our country's history. This shouldn't be a surprise considering the amount of hard-earned taxpayer dollars that Washington has been spending at a record-setting pace. The massive stimulus bill that I opposed in February increased the national debt by $925 billion to $12.1 trillion. I am extremely troubled by the recent media reports that show leaders of the majority party saying that the national debt limit has to be raised again, and soon. Mr. Speaker, we cannot spend and borrow our way to prosperity. I have heard the anger of the American people and my constituents, and they aren't supportive of any more debt increases. I voted against this earlier this year, and I remain opposed to increasing the debt limit. If anything, Washington needs to decrease the debt limit and practice fiscal responsibility now.

Mr. BOOZMAN

Mr. BOOZMAN. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, first of all, I want to thank the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Kirk) for bringing forward this important resolution. I rise today in strong support of House Resolution 175, which condemns the Iranian regime's continuing persecution of members of the Baha'i faith, Tehran's notoriously cruel regime, which for decades has denied the people of Iran their fundamental human rights and civil liberties. While the most recent demonstration of the regime's brutality and authoritarianism was the crackdown in the aftermath of the June leadership selection process; for years, Iran has made a special example of the Iranian Baha'is, oppressing them without respite. In addition to seizing Baha'i communal property, the Iranian Government prohibits the community from officially assembling; bans them from practicing or teaching their religion; excludes them from the national pension system and from public universities; prevents them from inheriting property; and jails them on account of their faith or on trumped-up charges of espionage. Accordingly, I urge my colleagues to adopt this resolution, which condemns the Iranian regime's despicable conduct. Mr. Speaker, totalitarian regimes everywhere, hiding behind the false excuse of state sovereignty, are eager to combat any progress in human rights and freedoms and are eager to expand their repression as far as others will allow them to do. The Baha'is and countless other Iranians have been robbed of a better future for almost 30 years by a regime which offers nothing but more misery. Therefore, the United States must continue to make clear in both word and deed that the spread of religious freedom and human rights worldwide is not merely an ideal but an imperative. Now is the time for all responsible nations to stand four-square with the Baha'is of Iran in their moment of need. With that, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Kirk), a member of the Committee on Appropriations and the author of this measure.

Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. Speaker, having no more speakers on the subject, again, I want to thank the gentleman from Illinois for bringing forward this very important resolution and urge my fellow Members to adopt it.

Mr. BOOZMAN

Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I stand in strong support of this resolution, which expresses our sympathy and deepest condolences for the victims and families of this month's deadly suicide bombing at the U.N. World Food Program offices in Islamabad, Pakistan. We mourn the loss of five humanitarian aid workers who were killed in a senseless act of violence while they were simply trying to supply food to the millions of vulnerable and hungry people of Pakistan. This deadly attack by a Taliban suicide bomber on October 5 forced the U.N. to temporarily close its offices, which resulted in the disruption of food assistance to nearly 10 million starving people in Pakistan who are dependent on the World Food Program. Mr. Speaker, we should not allow such cowardly acts of violence to overshadow the vital work of the World Food Program, whose efforts have relieved the suffering and hunger of millions of people in Pakistan and around the world. Since 1968, the U.N. World Food Program has invested more than $1.5 billion in assistance to the poor citizens of Pakistan alone. The World Food Program has also carried out food security efforts and has developed nutritional and socioeconomic programs that have improved access to health care, increased school enrollment for women and girls, and advanced economic opportunities for the poor. In fact, amid recent violence in Pakistan's North West Frontier Province, the World Food Program courageously pushed forward to provide emergency and hunger relief to 2 million displaced Pakistanis. Today, it is important not only to recognize the crucial role of the World Food Program in the fight to alleviate poverty and world hunger, but to reaffirm our appreciation for its mission to feed the world's poor. It's also important to pause momentarily to remember those aid workers who sacrificed their lives this month in the course of their work to relieve human suffering and hunger. Mr. Speaker, I strongly urge the passage of this resolution condemning this heinous attack and reinstating our support for the work of the World Food Program. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. Speaker, we very much appreciate Ms. DeLauro bringing the resolution forward, and at this time, we continue to reserve our time.

Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. Speaker, having no other speakers on the subject, again, I want to thank Ms. DeLauro for bringing this very important resolution forward. I also want to thank Mr. McGovern for his leadership in the hunger issues that he has given all of us. With that, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. BOOZMAN

Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield as much time as he may consume to the gentleman from California (Mr. Royce), the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation, and Trade, and a very long-standing advocate for human rights in Vietnam.

Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Cao), a member of the Homeland Security and Transportation Committees and the only Member of this body who was born in Vietnam.

Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume and rise in support of this measure. While the government of Vietnam was striving to secure permanent normal trade relations from the United States 3 years ago and World Trade Organization membership in 2007, it was given the benefit of many doubts about its human rights practices. A lot of attention was paid to marginal improvements in personal freedoms inside Vietnam at that time, and in one controversial decision, the United States removed Vietnam from our list of Countries of Particular Concern for religious freedom violations. But once the regime in Hanoi secured the trade status that it was seeking from the United States and multilateral organizations, it stepped up its repression. Since then, the human rights situation inside Vietnam has deteriorated, a fact that is readily apparent in the Vietnamese Government's crackdown on peaceful Internet dissent. Although Internet usage has grown among the Vietnamese people, the regime in Hanoi restricts services to a limited number of state-owned Internet service providers, ISPs. Government regulations require global Internet companies who offer blogging services to report to the government every 6 months and to provide requested information about individual bloggers. The state security apparatus monitors personal e-mail and blocks many Web sites with political or religious content that it finds disagreeable, such as some sites connected with the Catholic Church or overseas Vietnamese political groups. The Hanoi regime has harassed, convicted, and imprisoned many peaceful activists under the vague catchall provision of Article 88 of Vietnam's criminal code which prohibits conducting propaganda against the state. Earlier this month, Vietnam convicted nine democracy advocates, including 60-year-old Nguyen Xuan Nghia, who was sentenced to 6 years in prison followed by 3 years of house arrest. These violations were an affront to the people of Vietnam and to all people of goodwill who cherish basic human liberties. All of us in this body, human rights and free trade advocates alike, welcome this opportunity for the House to speak with one voice in favor of the freedoms of speech and expression for the people of Vietnam. I am pleased to join the bipartisan cosponsors of this measure in calling for the release of political prisoners, including the 18 Vietnamese bloggers and cyberactivists listed in the resolution. It is also my hope that global and United States-based Internet service providers will refuse to be complicit in the Vietnamese Government's human rights violations. I want to thank the gentlelady from California (Ms. Loretta Sanchez) for introducing this measure, which I strongly support. With that, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. Speaker, having no more speakers on the subject, I again thank the gentlewoman from California for bringing this important resolution forward, which I very much support, that of freedom in Vietnam; and I urge my fellow Members to lend their support, also.

Mr. BOOZMAN. With that, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. BOOZMAN

Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. Speaker, having no further speakers on the subject, again I want to thank Mr. McGovern for bringing this forward. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I also want to thank Mr. McGovern for bringing this resolution forward. I rise today to join my colleagues in commemorating the anniversary of the murders of six Jesuit fathers, their housekeeper, and her daughter on November 16, 1989, in El Salvador. On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of their deaths, the resolution before us remembers and commemorates the lives and work of these individuals. It extends our sympathy to the families, friends, colleagues and religious communities of those whose lives were lost that day. It recognizes the continuing academic and social contributions of the University of Central America, UCA, in San Salvador, El Salvador and the 28 Jesuit colleges and universities in the United States for their solidarity and annual remembrance of those killed 20 years ago. The resolution also recognizes that progress is being made in El Salvador, but reminds us that social and economic hardships still persist among many sectors of Salvadoran society. Therefore, it supports the efforts of public, private, nongovernmental and religious organizations to fulfill the legacy of the murdered Jesuits to reduce poverty and hunger and promote educational opportunity, human rights, the rule of law and social equity for the people of El Salvador. It has been a long road over the past 20 years. By working together with responsible partners and friends, the United States can help El Salvador to overcome the obstacles that remain. And as long as the democratic principles and respect for fundamental freedoms and the rule of law remain the compass for our support, I'm confident that we can be successful. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Cao) a member of the Homeland Security and Transportation committees and a former Jesuit seminarian.

Mr. BOOZMAN

Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to say that health insurance expansion should not end up costing patients their quality of care or their benefits. In January 2008 the Arkansas Department of Health reported that 51,707 Arkansans were currently enrolled in Medicare Advantage. The Department also noted that the number of enrollees was increasing every day. Most of these men and women are located in rural areas of the State, places where access to health care is already strained and doctors are no longer seeing new Medicare patients. With the massive proposed cuts to Medicare Advantage, how am I to explain to these patients that the reform that they've been waiting for, the reform that many claim will broaden access and help them get the services they need will actually cost them the quality of care and coverage that they depend on? I cannot find a good explanation, and I will not support legislation that sacrifices the health of seniors in Arkansas by cutting Medicare Advantage.

Mr. BOOZMAN

Mr. BOOZMAN. Madam Speaker, pursuant to the House Republican standards on earmarks, I am submitting the following information regarding earmarks I received as a part of H.R. 3183--Energy and Water Appropriations Act of 2010. Requesting Member: Congressman John Boozman Bill Number: H.R. 3183 Account: Construction Legal Name of Requesting Entity: Corps of Engineers Address of Requesting Entity: P.O. Box 867, Little Rock, Arkansas 72203 Description of Request: The May Branch flood control project will reduce the occurrence of flood damage for hundreds of property owners in the vicinity of the May Branch drainage way in portions of Fort Smith. During the periods of heavier rainfall, stormwater flows exceed the capacity of the May Branch channel, causing surface and structure flooding. The project meets the Corps of Engineers' cost/benefit ration requirements. The Federal funds of $179,000 will be used for design engineering, right-of way acquisition, and construction. The City of Fort Smith will be matching the $15 million federal share with $16 million in local funds from a 1-cent sales tax dedicated to street and drainage repairs. Requesting Member: Congressman John Boozman Bill Number: H.R. 3183 Account: Department of Energy--EERE Legal Name of Requesting Entity: University of Arkansas--Division of Agriculture Address of Requesting Entity: 2404 N. University Avenue, Little Rock, Arkansas 72207 Description of Request: The national goal of the US is to replace more than 75% of our oil imports from the Middle East by 2025. With America on the verge of breakthroughs in advanced energy technologies, the best way to break the addiction to foreign oil is through new technology. Of course, new conversion technology requires the availability of adequate amounts of quality feedstocks. To help meet this critical national goal, the Mid South/Southeast BioEnergy Consortium $1,000,000 project is focused: to (1) position the MidSouth and Southeast bioenergy industry to expand from biodiesel and grain to ethanol to commercial production of cellulosic ethanol; (2) develop economic and environmental viable systems to produce, harvest and process relevant feedstocks for biodiesel and ethanol operations, matching feedstock availability to specific conversion technologies; (3) conduct educational programs to deliver information on feedstock production, harvesting and processing with farm and industry audiences; (4) develop alternative uses for by-products and create new lines of co-products that generate revenue streams to complement biofuel production; and (5) develop and evaluate conversion technologies necessary for commercial cellulosic ethanol production.

Mr. BOOZMAN

Mr. BOOZMAN. Well, as the gentleman just said, our taxes will go up; and we will not only be paying Arkansas' share, but we will be paying for those four States that have worked a deal. I was struck. Will you go back to the chart that shows the Medicare. You know, when you look at that chart, a tremendous amount of the pay-fors come out of Medicare, cuts to Medicare doctors, $240 billion. Right now, it's not uncommon at all for me to get a call because I am an optometrist and practitioner in the area for a long time, and they say, my aunt's moved to town and they are having trouble finding a Medicare practitioner now because people are cutting back on their hours and just refusing to have additional patients. We are talking about cutting that $240 billion, $130 billion to the Advantage Program and 120 to the Medicare hospital account, which really will devastate rural hospitals in particular, which really will affect my State a great deal. When you add all of that up, that's close to $500 billion. Medicare goes broke now in 2017, 2018. You have to ask yourself, What is Medicare going to look like in 7 or 8 years? Right now, it's a good program. Our seniors are doing well; they are getting good care. But when you add 30 percent more population to the program, take away $500 billion of their resources, again, what is that program going to look like? What is that going to do to our seniors? I had a senior call me today, an old coach of mine. He said, John, I don't understand this. You know, we are the group that have paid taxes the longest. I have faithfully paid in--this gentleman is in his 80s. He said, I have paid in all my life, and now I am at the point where I am needing my care, and we paid in the longest, and you are going to penalize us the most. I think that's something that we really do have to consider.

Mr. BOOZMAN. Can I say something to the gentleman from Texas? The other thing that we have to remember in the administrative cost is that at least 10 percent is waste and fraud. So you have this very low administrative cost. Well, they are not doing anything.

Mr. BOOZMAN. In speaking of Medicare. The President stood up here a few weeks ago and agreed. In fact, all of the things--he was going to fix everything--much of what he was going to fix was going to be paid for by getting rid of this waste and fraud, primarily in Medicare and then also in Medicaid. So when you are not really administering, when you have all of this going on, then certainly you are going to have a very low expense. But the true expense is much higher.

Mr. BOOZMAN. The other thing I would say, and you all, the gentleman from Tennessee and you might talk about the importance of getting rid of these nuisance lawsuits. We got good news. I believe it was the CBO, somebody scored this week to the tune of many, many billions of dollars. That's something that our side is pushing for very, very hard. Everyone agrees. Even the President, when he addressed us a few weeks ago, made mention of the fact that he'd been talking to his physician friends and this and that and that he felt like, you know, that there was something there. The problem was the solution that he offered is really no solution. But why don't you guys talk a little bit about the numbers, what that would do, and then also how that drove costs in your individual practices.