Marsha Blackburn

Mrs. BLACKBURN

Mrs. BLACKBURN. I thank the gentleman from Georgia who is doing such an extraordinarily wonderful job, Mr. Speaker, as he represents the positions that our party holds on so many issues that are important to the American people. I am going to be heading to my district for the weekend, as most Members are, spending some time there, having the opportunity to talk with them. But as the gentleman from Georgia was saying, we wanted the opportunity to just address and maybe do a little bit of correcting on some of the points that our colleagues from across the aisle have been saying and stating. Sometimes I think that they are just sadly misinformed on some of these issues. They said that Republicans are not looking to cut spending. I just find that extraordinary. They said that Democrats are the ones that are wanting to cut spending. Mr. Speaker, the level of hypocrisy in that statement is absolutely astounding. We have a Democratic Party in this House whose message, and I honestly believe many days is the only message that they have, that message is: Spend more. Whatever it is, spend more. Whatever they are wanting to do, if they do not think the outcome is right, go spend more. And for years they have held this thought that if you just put more money in the pot, then the outcome is going to be what they want. Spend more. Spend more. And what holds them together? Mr. Speaker, I think that is something that is a curiosity to many people, because they are not united on foreign policy, they are not united on winning in Iraq, they are not united on border control issues, they are not united behind working families who tell us repeatedly that what they want is lower taxes, lighter regulation, preserving individual freedom, and having their shot at hope and opportunity. Our colleagues across the aisle are not united on that. The one thing that they repeatedly seem to be united on is spending more of the taxpayers' money, spending more of your hard-earned money. And it is amazing to me, government never gets enough of the taxpayer money. Government has this huge, voracious appetite for the taxpayers' money. They just cannot get enough of it. There is always another program. Many of them are great programs, but one of the truths that we all see here in this body: If government moves in to solve a problem, generally neither the private nor not-for-profit sector will move in and address that problem. So you have additional costs that come about. Every time we talk about winning in Iraq, our friends across the aisle seem to say let us get out, regardless of the sacrifices that are made. Every time we talk about controlling the border, they are over there saying no way. Mr. Speaker, yesterday, I was on a CNBC program; and a Democrat Member of the House said that their party had never been invited to offer spending cuts. There are 435 Members of this body, and Mr. Speaker, they are waiting for an invitation to come in and participate in how to reduce the size of government. This morning, I was on the floor and I said please consider this the invitation, come on. Everybody needs to work on this. It should be a bipartisan effort. It should involve every single Member of this House, how we go about reducing what the Federal Government spends. I have three bills that would enact across-the-board cuts, 1 percent, 2 percent and 5 percent cuts; and for all of their talk today about how they want to cut spending, Mr. Speaker, not one single Democrat is on those bills, not one. We have got 14 Republicans who are on those bills, and not one Democrat has signed on to commit to finding 1, 2 or 5 percent of waste, fraud and abuse in government spending. Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues, who is really leading on this issue? I hear plenty of accusations from the left. I hear plenty of complaining, and I see zero action. A lot of talk, no action. They controlled this body for 40 years; and in that 40 years, they built layer after layer after layer after layer of government. They cooked them a big old government cake, layer upon layer. We have got programs out there that do nothing but waste our money. We have got 342 different economic development programs. There is a lot of work that we can do. Everyone is invited to come in and work on these issues; and anytime we even try to restrain spending, look at the rhetoric that we hear. Mr. Speaker, it is our party in this House, it is our leader, the gentleman from Illinois (Speaker Hastert), who truly is leading on this issue, not the minority leader. It is our leaders who are pushing this. It is our party who would like to reduce government spending by billions of dollars, billions more in next year's budget. It is our party that would like to see across-the-board spending reductions. Their solution that they offer is repealing tax relief that is well deserved by hardworking American families, repealing that relief and raising taxes, period. That is the only thing that unites their party. I hope that they will work with us on reducing the spending of the Federal Government. I thank the gentleman from Georgia for yielding.

Mrs. BLACKBURN

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. Speaker, if House liberals had their way, last year we would have spent billions more. I want every taxpayer across America to know that it is this Republican leadership and Republican majority that is talking about spending cuts, spending less, not the Democrats. It is this Republican majority that is talking about continued tax relief for hardworking American families, not the Democrats. You are going to hear the Democrats say, well, those Republicans, they didn't invite us to come participate in talking about spending cuts, to talk about reducing Federal spending. Mr. Speaker, I hope they will consider this the invitation: Come join us. We would love to have all your input and ideas. So from this point on, they can stop talking about how we need to spend more and help us find ways to be better stewards and spend less. Let us be frank. The Democrat solution, raising taxes, is not a solution. This government does not have a revenue problem. This government has a spending problem. Mr. Speaker, we invite them to join us.

Mrs. BLACKBURN

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Madam Speaker, if House liberals had their way, last year we would have spent $7.4 billion more on social programs, and here we are in the middle of a war on terrorism. We are facing new expenses with that war. We are working to rebuild after hurricanes Katrina and Rita, and the Democrats are saying, spend more, spend more. Madam Speaker, the American people need to know what that means. When they say spend more, it means the American people are going to turn over more of their hard-earned money. Republicans in this House, from our newest Members to our leadership, are talking about how to reduce spending. Democrats are either staying quiet and hoping to avoid this subject or simply ignoring the bottom line and calling for increases in their pet projects. Their leadership consistently fails to do anything but complain and is not endorsing spending reductions. Enough is enough. If the liberals in this body had their way, right now we would be spending $60 billion more.

Mrs. BLACKBURN

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. Speaker, this morning Congress Daily ran a story, ``House GOP drops plans for across-the-board spending cuts.'' At first glance, I was disappointed. I have authored bills with the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Cantor) and the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Hensarling) to offer across-the-board cuts because they work, and I believe we should have the courage to enact them. But I also know that those across the aisle favor massive spending and absolutely cannot stand across-the-board cuts. And while I am disappointed that we will not take that approach of across-the-board cuts, I am not going to give up on seeing major spending reductions. Mr. Speaker, I believe the House Republican majority is going to find savings in our spending one way or another, despite opposition from the big spenders. I want to thank the leadership for making it clear that we expect to see $50 billion in entitlement reductions. It is great progress. While Republicans debate how do we reduce spending and get it under control, our friends on the other side of the aisle are debating how much more can we spend. Mr. Speaker, they are out of touch with America, but they can still join us in this effort.

Mrs. BLACKBURN

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. Speaker, the Washington Post has done it again for us. They ran an article on the retirement of Turkey's ambassador to the United States, and I was struck by a comment that the ambassador made regarding Iraq and our efforts to reshape that country in the Middle East. This is what he said: ``Pessimism debilitates you. Don't ignore the facts, but be optimistic. Some of the apparent clumsiness is democracy in the making.'' Democracy in the making. Mr. Speaker, too many in this body and in the media have fed the pessimism. Those of us standing with the President and our military in Iraq are not playing Pollyanna on this. We know it is going to be a tough, tough endeavor. But we believed and we still believe that failing to act was a poor long-term solution to the fundamental crisis of terrorism that exists in the Middle East. Today, we should all take a moment and praise our troops, our leadership, and the Iraqi people for voting on a constitution last Saturday. Nearly 63 percent of eligible voters cast a ballot. That is tremendous, and it should be cause for celebration both here and around the world. Again, to quote the ambassador, ``Pessimism debilitates you.'' Let us celebrate this success.

Mrs. BLACKBURN

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for his excellent work on this issue. It is so interesting for me to stand here in this body and listen to people say it was rushed through committee, that we have not given proper thought to this issue. Mr. Speaker, it seems this issue has been around for about 10 years, trying to get an energy bill through, and we did. We passed the Energy Policy Act of 2005. But this issue has been on the table for 10 years, and if former President Clinton had not vetoed drilling in ANWR in 1995, we might not be standing here having this discussion today. But that happened. So this is not being rushed through. This is something that is the culmination of a decade's worth of talk. And the people in Tennessee, in my district, are tired of the talk, Mr. Speaker. They are ready for some action. This is a right step. It is the right time. I want to hit two provisions that are included in this bill. One is streamlining the countless regulations, then helping to prevent some of the frivolous lawsuits. When we look at streamlining some of the process they have to go through to build a refinery, that is a good thing. It is going to help us to be able to move forward on refineries in a more expeditious manner. The other thing is establishing the Department of Energy as the lead agency for siting refineries and eliminating some of the unnecessary requirements on waiting on multiple bureaucracies to respond to a request to build one refinery. This is not about bureaucrats and building. It is about meeting real American needs of real families for energy uses on a daily basis.

Mrs. BLACKBURN

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Texas for yielding, and I thank him for organizing this hour tonight and for the work he has put into this issue and how wonderful that our colleagues here in this body and that the American people can hear from the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Price) and the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Murphy) and the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Gingrey) and the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Carter) and hear how Members of this body, Members who have served as a part of our legal and judicial system, Members who are health care providers address this situation and realize the need to address medical liability here in this country. I think it is worthy, too, that we hear from consumers in this debate, and being a health care consumer is something that is important to me and important to so many of my constituents in Tennessee. The gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Price) had mentioned the Harris poll, and I think the results of this poll are so reflective of what we hear from our constituents. Seventy-eight percent of the individuals polled in the Harris poll talked about medical liability costs and expecting Congress to do something to address that issue, 78 percent. Seventy-three percent want us to make medical malpractice reform a top issue for the U.S. House of Representatives, and they do that because they see this as a freedom issue, a freedom for them to choose who they want to be their doctor, who they want to take care of them, to have access to the health care that they know is there and available, but because of a litigious society and a legal system that many times is out of control, is not available. I will have to tell my colleagues I had a constituent in a town hall meeting recently stop the town hall meeting when we got to this, stand up and say, I have got something to say. He said I think when it comes to lawyers suing doctors that we ought to have a law. He said, a doctor cannot diagnose you; he cannot give you any medicine unless he has a face-to-face meeting with you and checks you out. I think the same thing ought to apply to these lawyers, that they thought to have a face-to-face meeting and get to know these patients before that lawyer can help that patient sue that doctor. That is sometimes the frustration that we hear and good common sense that people bring forward. This is what we are hearing from the consumers of this Nation, from our citizens, from our constituents: Address this because it is a freedom issue. It is a freedom issue for physicians who want to practice the skill that they have been trained to do. It is a freedom of access issue for our constituents. Our constituents know that because of the liability crisis in this great Nation that their hospital choices are limited; that their physician choices are limited; that they are having to drive further distances; that health care is not as available, especially in our rural and underserved areas. I tell my colleagues, if that hospital is 60 miles away, many times it might as well be 600 miles away because it is so difficult to get to. So I really want to thank the leadership of this House. I want to thank the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Gingrey) and the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Carter) and the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Murphy) and the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Price) for bringing their expertise to bear in this body and bringing attention to the medical liability crisis and to the need to move forward, complete addressing H.R. 5 and taking a lead in the medical malpractice/medical liability issue.

Mrs. BLACKBURN

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. Speaker, the publications on Capitol Hill today have been filled with information about a topic: How do we go about reducing spending. What a nice deliberation for us to have in this body. How would we choose to reduce spending: across-the-board cuts or looking at specific programs. Last week I came to the floor and I talked about three bills I had introduced. Each of these bills would call for across-the-board cuts, whether 1, 2, or 5 percent reductions. I want to thank the Speaker and the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Blunt) for listening to the proposal. I want to thank the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Cantor) for signing, and the gentleman from Iowa (Mr. Nussle) for his leadership as we work to find a way to fund the Hurricane Katrina disaster and as we look at a way to prioritize spending and address fiscal responsibility in this body.

Mrs. BLACKBURN

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. Speaker, Tennesseans have a long tradition of volunteerism. In times of need, the Nation is able to count on our state. In the aftermath of a truly devastating hurricane season, we've seen our state and our country come together to assist the gulf coast region. Tennesseans are opening their hearts and homes to evacuees and assisting with what will be a very long recovery. Our own Nashville Symphony will host a benefit concert on October 4, 2005 for the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra (LPO) as it struggles to survive. Nashville area businesses and the community have come together to reunite the LPO in our city for a benefit concert. I ask my colleagues to join me in thanking Executive Director Alan Valentine, his team at the Nashville Symphony, and the many local businesses and supporters who've come together to aid the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra.

Mrs. BLACKBURN

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. Speaker, tonight I want to talk a little bit about all the great things that Americans are doing day in and day out to help our friends and neighbors from the gulf coast. But first, Mr. Speaker, I want to commend the Republican Conference for taking decisive action today to be sure that we continue to push ahead with our agenda here in this House, that agenda of spending reductions, immigration reform, and keeping our focus on national security. It is clear that we will not let partisan wrangling get in the way of progress, and that is exactly why the American people have elected us to serve in this body. We are focused on their agenda. I think it is important too, Mr. Speaker, to let the American people know that we have heard them loud and clear; and what they are wanting to see is action, decisive action on fiscal responsibility. They want fiscal accountability. After all, as so many of my constituents have reminded me in these last few days as we have talked about the pressing needs that we have in our country, this money is their money. It is not government's money. It is the taxpayers' money, and it is our responsibility to be good stewards of that money. Many people have told me that they have just really grown ill and fatigued with seeing money spent and that they are not seeing it accounted for. They feel like it is time for bureaucrats to turn around and be responsible to taxpayers that are sitting at kitchen tables. I have a lots of things I would like to respond to from my colleague across the aisle. He spoke about blunders that have taken place, and he seemed to have lost a little bit of hope with the U.S. and spoke negatively with how we have progressed with certain areas and positively of things that are happening in other areas in other countries. It just made me recall something that I remembered President Reagan would time and again say when he talked about spreading freedom and about what a noble goal, a noble goal it was to spread freedom to every corner of the world. Mr. Speaker, you know, as we talk about what is happening in Iraq and as we talk about what is happening in Afghanistan, and we look at the agenda that our men and women in uniform carry out every day, as we look at how committed our President and his team have been to spreading freedom, we know that that is done because in the end having peace spread across this Nation, through the Middle East is going to give a peace dividend for our children and our grandchildren. And in that peace dividend people find the opportunity to dream those big dreams. They find the opportunity to seek a better education, to seek opportunity, to build those businesses and to create a life that they would like to have for themselves and for their children. That is possible because of freedom. It is possible because of a commitment, a commitment that we make to move forward in spreading freedom. My colleague also was talking about blunders and rebuilding and looking at the wonderful gulf coast area and how it is going to be rebuilt. Mr. Speaker, I would just have to tell you, I feel that those are some mighty resilient folks down there in the gulf coast. They are people who when that stormed passed through and it cleared away, I know many of the folks down in southern Mississippi that I was working with, they threw that chain saw in the back of that pickup truck, they grabbed their work gloves, they grabbed their work boots, they got out there and they started cutting trees. They started clearing the way. They went to work. They were not waiting for somebody else. They went to work. Now, as we get to the rebuilding phase, it is important that we be innovative, that we be creative, that we bring some great solutions to the table, that we think about tax incentives, that we think about enterprise zones, that we think about going in here and encouraging ownership. What can we do to encourage private property ownership? What can we do to encourage businesses to redevelop? Possibly, Mr. Speaker, going into this area is a great place to go and run a pilot project to see how a flat tax would work so that we are making it easier on hard-working men and women, making it easier on families to come back and reestablish those homes and reestablish those businesses and rebuild those communities. Because right now they are looking at physical infrastructure that has been damaged. Their economic infrastructure has been damaged. The social infrastructure of their community has been damaged. They want to take ownership of those projects. I commend the good communities along the gulf coast region, whether they are in Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, or Texas. Communities are coming together to meet their needs. And I want to talk a little bit about those Americans and the folks that have taken time to show compassion and caring. And I want to express some things tonight. I think it is important for us to stand and thank all of the churches and the not-for-profit organizations and the faith-based organizations who have led the way, who have led the way in caring for those who have provided shelter, who have provided money, have continued to raise money, that have donated supplies, and people who have even traveled into areas to help with caring, to help with feeding those that need to be fed, to help with clean up, and are committed to staying with these communities as they rebuild. You know, photos do not do the degree of damage justice. I think that during this process that we have been through for the past month, we have seen government make some mistakes. We have seen government do some things right, and I know that most of us have probably been both impressed and sorely disappointed at the very same time. And I think one of the things that we have seen is that we have seen ordinary people do some truly extraordinary things. I will have to tell you, as I said earlier, for me there is a personal connection to all of this. I grew up down in south Mississippi, and I was a high school girl when Hurricane Camille hit. And I can tell you from what I have seen, Katrina is much worse than my memories of Hurricane Camille. And just a few days after Katrina struck, I was down at where I grew up in southern Mississippi. I went down there with my family so that we could help those in my home community. We took in supplies, and we went down to assist. My parents are long-time Red Cross volunteers; and they had been working at the shelter before the storm hit, trying to help those who were fleeing out of Gulf Port and Biloxi right along the coastal areas. Even though my home community in southern Mississippi where I grew up suffered a lot of damage, those folks were there tending to others. It did not seem to matter that they did not have water, they did not have electricity, that some people did not have roofs. What they were doing was tending people that really had a need. They felt like that was the most important thing to do: tend to those that were injured; tend to those that were grieving; go clean things up and then let us get around to rebuilding. The thing that I could not help but notice is the way that people from all walks of life were coming together to clear debris, to clear fallen structures. The spirit of America truly has been alive and well, even in the very tough days that we saw after Hurricane Katrina and we have seen this past week with Hurricane Rita. And since then we have learned more about some of these ordinary folks who stepped forward and did extraordinary things to help those who had lost their homes and their community. In my district, which runs from the Mississippi border north to the Kentucky border, I have seen our communities across this entire district pull together to offer assistance. In many of our counties they have done so. Mr. Speaker, that is what I am hearing from congressional Members all across this country. Forty-eight States have evacuees that are seeking refuge and a place to call home, maybe temporarily, maybe a little longer. They are all coming together, 48 States, communities across 48 States. A great example of this is our Memphis Corps of Engineers has been in New Orleans helping to repair the levees while our Shelby County, Memphis area nonprofits and faith-based groups have been pitching in as well. They have been incredibly generous. We have had so many, and I would like to list just a few: the Bellevue Baptist Church, the Cathedral of Faith Ministries, Christ United Methodist Church, the Cornerstone Institutional Baptist Church, Cummings Street Baptist Church, Greater Harvest Church of God In Christ, the Greater Praise Church of God In Christ, the Independent Presbyterian Church, Memphis Union Mission, the Mid-South Baptist Association, and the Baptist Children's Home. Mr. Speaker, it is like this in districts all across our country. All are working to provide shelter for evacuees. And then those that are coming forward with meals and shelters, the Friendship Baptist Church, the Germantown Presbyterian Church, Oakland First Baptist Church, and then the Breath of Life Seventh Day Adventist, Calvary Episcopal Church, the Holy Rosary Catholic church and School, and Hope Presbyterian Church, the Hutchinson School, and Impact Ministries of Memphis. They are finding a way to feed volunteers and to feed evacuees. Mr. Speaker, all of this is such a testament to the greatness of our country. Up in the greater Nashville area, Montgomery County areas, they are in middle Tennessee, we have seen the Crievewood Baptist Church, Tulip Grove Baptist Church, Clear View Baptist Church, Hilldale Church of Christ all open their doors and provide shelter for those that were needing a temporary home. We have also seen a wonderful evacuation center open in Franklin, Tennessee. I had the opportunity of inviting Secretary Mineta to join me as he had the opportunity to work with the Red Cross volunteers and look at this wonderful shelter, visit with our local elected officials, visit with the evacuees who had come out of Texas, out of Louisiana, out of Mississippi to call Franklin, Tennessee temporarily home. We have also had the kitchen at Clear View Baptist Church and Near Ministry providing food; Grace Works Ministries collecting clothing and hygiene kits. Our Interfaith Dental Clinic providing acute care. Mr. Speaker, while folks were receiving evacuees there, they were in the process of loading 18-wheelers and trucks and sending much needed supplies into the gulf coast area. The Montgomery Bell Academy Service Club loaded an 18-wheeler full of supplies that were needed and sent it south into Jones County, Mississippi. This is happening all across the country in many districts. I would like to mention a few of the things that some of our colleagues have done. In fact, just last Thursday my good friend, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Gohmert), rented two U-Haul trucks and went to a local food bank in Tyler, Texas. He then drove the trucks to Lufkin, Texas, which was out of food and water. They had received an influx of evacuees at several of their shelters. They were out of food and water and needed some help. So the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Gohmert) unloaded the supplies and then went to the emergency operations center to meet with the local officials to see what else it was they needed. So he found out. After midnight he visited a shelter. He found out there were nearly 200 evacuees there. They did not have pillows and blankets. So off he went to the local Wal-Mart where he bought the supplies that were needed. He returned and distributed these to the folks that were there that were in need. That is a good deal of work, and it is a great thing a good man did for some folks in need. I want to thank the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Gohmert) and all of those across the country who like him are reaching out to help others. I also want to thank those in his district that helped him in meeting these needs. We have also seen some of the Nation's largest companies really step up to the plate on this. We have watched Wal-Mart really do some fantastic work. They have now donated in excess of $20 million in funds and in goods to help those that have been displaced, $20 million. Motorola has provided $1 million to an education fund to help rebuild schools and educate displaced children in the gulf coast region. There again, another company that is stepping up to the plate to help. To date, they have provided several mission-critical responses to the gulf coast, including the delivery of replacement communications equipment to first responders, direct financial support to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund, and more than 300 Motorola employees and partners are on the front lines in the impacted areas to repair and restore communications. It is going to be a heavy lift. There is a lot of devastation in this area; and, indeed, it is going to take each and every one of us working together as a team, working together as a team from the local, the State, and the Federal levels, from the private, not-for-profit and public sectors, and here in Congress from both sides of the aisle as we work to meet the needs of this region of our Nation. We all know that for so many prescription drugs are critical for survival, and we know that many people escaped thinking they would return in a day or two and be back home, not thinking to bring documents, prescriptions, health care information with them. And of course, we know many times when you escape and you are leaving and evacuating for a hurricane, in a couple of days you are back. This time was different, and so we have watched as the Nation's pharmaceutical companies have contributed $120 million in refrigerated insulin, vaccines, antibiotics, antiseptics, nonprescription pain relievers, and millions of cans of infant formula. One of our former colleagues here in the House, a Louisianan, Billy Tauzin, who had been a Republican Member from Louisiana, now works with these pharmaceutical companies. He said, ``We want to make certain that every single person who needs help gets it during the difficult weeks and months ahead.'' I want to thank him and the companies he represents for their donations. They are literally saving lives. Mr. Speaker, I can tell my colleagues firsthand, having been in some of these shelters, having talked with the medical teams that are there, having worked with them to find out what their needs are, they are incredibly appreciative of the medical supplies and the pharmaceuticals that have come into the shelters to help them, to help our medical professionals meet the needs that so many of the evacuees are having with their health care. Mr. Speaker, another word on another Member of this body. The gentleman from New Hampshire (Mr. Bass) has created an informal relief committee in his hometown of Peterborough, and I want to tell my colleagues a little bit about what he is doing. This is the kind of partnership that is going to make a tremendous difference. The gentleman from New Hampshire's (Mr. Bass) rural New England town will provide essential resources to the small southern city of Collins, Mississippi. That little town is represented by the gentleman from Mississippi (Mr. Pickering). It is down in south Mississippi. They sustained a tremendous amount of devastation and damage in Hurricane Katrina. The gentleman from Mississippi (Mr. Pickering) and the gentleman from New Hampshire (Mr. Bass) have worked to connect these two communities, and these two communities, miles apart, are forging a sister city relationship that will help ensure the swift delivery of goods and services to the citizens of Collins, Mississippi. Grateful citizens they are to the wonderful citizens of Peterborough, New Hampshire, and we thank them for that effort. The gentleman from Delaware (Mr. Castle) helped kick off ``Hunger Drive 2005'' for the hurricane victims by donating groceries, preparing meal packages and announcing that his Wilmington congressional office will serve as a satellite office in collecting goods. The gentleman from Delaware (Mr. Castle) said that, ``In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, we have all been searching for ways to help, and help in more ways than just donating money. We wanted to do something that directly impacted the lives of the victims and their families.'' I thank the gentleman from Delaware (Mr. Castle) for stepping forward and for working with his constituents in Delaware to help our citizens in the gulf coast region. Mr. Speaker, I will have to tell my colleagues one little story, too. While driving to Mississippi, I stopped in the gentleman from Alabama's (Mr. Aderholt) district. I was going to grab a quick sandwich and get back on the road and continue driving so that we could get the load of supplies that we were taking down to where we wanted them to be. I walked into the fast food restaurant. I was greeted at the counter by a friendly young man, big smile. I placed my order. He invited me to drop some change in the hurricane relief jar that they had put on the counter, and I thanked him for doing that, told him where I was heading, and he said, I have got to tell you, we are working with our congressman and his wife; we have got a great congressman and they are going to help us help some folks down in the gulf coast. So we thank the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Aderholt), his staff and his family for taking the lead in Cullman, Alabama. I really think this sums up some of what this country is feeling and how we are reaching out right now. It is certainly clear that this effort is having an impact on our kids. In Kalamazoo, Michigan, third graders are selling pickles at school to raise money for the hurricane victims. In Maryland, high school students are collecting thousands of backpacks for needy children. A group of children in Forest Acres, South Carolina, spent their day off from school to help those in need. The students sold baked goods and lemonade on a neighborhood sidewalk. They raised $145 in just a few hours, and all of it is going to help the victims and the families that are victims of Hurricane Katrina. We, in Tennessee, have seen our great country music community come together in order to put their unique talents to work for the relief effort. This weekend in Oxford, Mississippi, there is an enormous concert. It is filled with country music stars. We thank them. They are performing, they are travelling, they are participating to raise money and raise awareness, raise the funds that are necessary to help hardworking Americans rebuild their lives and, as I said, raise awareness about what the true needs are in the gulf coast area. Alan Jackson, Craig Morgan, Terri Clark, LeAnn Rimes, Marty Stuart, Keith Urban, Alison Kraus, just to name a few, sold out the 4,400-seat Grand Old Opry House to raise money. They were able to donate, get this, $230,000 to the Red Cross. One of our great Nashville companies, the Great American Country owner Scripps Network, they contributed $1 million. Mr. Speaker, I could go on and on because America has once again risen to the challenge. The American people have been incredibly generous, but I want to end this time tonight with this. To every individual, to every community who is out there, helping to ease the suffering of our friends in the gulf coast, I want to say thank you. I want to encourage them to keep up the good work because, indeed, Mr. Speaker, this is what we are a great Nation of, freedom, free people who group together to stand together to help one another and to be there to support one another when times are tough. Mr. Speaker, we thank them all for their contribution to this Nation. We thank them for their commitment to being certain that American families, that American communities continue to be the beacon of light and hope and freedom for the entire world.

Mrs. BLACKBURN

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. Speaker, last week I received a call from a constituent, and she said, As you are looking at Hurricane Katrina, I want you to remember something. My grandmother used to say, Mind your pennies and your dollars will take care of themselves. How very true, and in that regard, I filed three bills yesterday, one I think every Member of the House can decide they can support, H.R. 3903, H.R. 3904 and H.R. 3906. Each calls for across-the-board spending reductions in non-defense, non-homeland security discretionary spending. H.R. 3903 is a 1 percent reduction which would be a $4 billion savings for the year. Two percent is the H.R. 3904 bill. That is an $8 billion savings. $21.5 billion could be saved with H.R. 3906, which is a 5 percent reduction. One of the things we know, Mr. Speaker, is that across-the-board reductions work. The bureaucrats in buildings are called upon to be responsive to the taxpayers to account for how they are spending every single penny that they are being appropriated. So I encourage all the Members of the body to join me in cosponsoring H.R. 3903, H.R. 3904 and H.R. 3906 and reduce our Federal outlays.

Mrs. BLACKBURN

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. Speaker, as my colleague was saying, we have talked quite a bit about Hurricanes Katrina and Rita today and over the past few weeks, and we do express our sympathies to all of those families that have been affected. I had a colleague mention a moment ago something about Iraq, the war against terrorism, spoke about it from the negative. I want to highlight a positive and a real victory, a significant victory in Iraq. Al Qaeda's second-highest ranking operative in Iraq was killed in a joint strike by U.S. and Iraqi forces. This is a huge win, Mr. Speaker, a huge win for our troops and for freedom; and it is another sign that we are taking al Qaeda and the terrorist organizations apart, piece by piece. Whether they are in Iraq, Afghanistan, or working to infiltrate our borders, we are working to uncover and destroy the terrorists' network. We are being led in this effort by our men and women in uniform. God bless them and their good work, and bless those wonderful American- Iraqi forces who are leading in this war against terror.

Mrs. BLACKBURN

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. Speaker, fiscal responsibility is one of those tenets of our Republican philosophy. It is something our constituents remind us of every day. A constituent called yesterday following our Operation Offset press conference. She liked what she saw. Her advice was an old adage from her granny: Mind your pennies and your dollars will mind themselves. I said, No, we're minding your pennies, the taxpayers' pennies, their dollars. This is their money. It is not government's money. We need to remember that. Mr. Speaker, this House under our Republican leadership has passed a 2006 budget that worked to reduce discretionary spending. It is a great step in beginning to rein in the growth of government. I commend them for that. This House has passed tax relief that has led to 3 million new jobs being created. We need to keep that. I want to thank the leadership for that good work and to thank them for encouraging every Member of this body to work with them to find a way for us to address the needs that our Nation has in response to Hurricane Katrina. I want to thank Republican Study Committee Chairman Pence for his good work on Operation Offset in providing us with another opportunity to reaffirm that we are the party of fiscal responsibility.

Mrs. BLACKBURN

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Madam Speaker, today at 11:30 I will join some of my colleagues in a press conference for Operation Offset. I want to thank the leadership for the opportunity to participate in providing offsets as we look at ways to fund Hurricane Katrina's disaster relief program. I want to thank them for leading the way with the 2006 budget that this body recently passed. And I want to thank them for the opportunity to focus on what I think is the heart and soul of our conference, fiscal stewardship. As I make my remarks today, my focus is going to be on government overpayments, one of which is the earned income tax credit which is overpaid by $9 billion annually over a 10-year period. A savings of $90 billion could be realized here. The GAO, the CBO, and the Inspectors General have numerous ideas and suggestions and ways that we can rein in government spending. It is time for us to heed our own advice.

Mrs. BLACKBURN

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Madam Speaker, today I am welcoming many of my constituents who are songwriters to the Hill to perform for tonight's Songwriters Caucus event. While they are with us today and tomorrow, they are taking the opportunity to call on Members of Congress to remind them that protecting the intellectual property of our Nation's creative community is the same as protecting the private property of our citizens. These songwriters are on the frontline in building a knowledge-based economy in our country that is recognized and acknowledged by other nations and trading partners around the world. We salute their commitment to growing and invigorating the free enterprise system and by doing it so pleasantly, always with a song.

Mrs. BLACKBURN

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. Speaker, I look forward to hearing the President address the Nation this evening on our plan to be certain that America's Gulf Coast States continue to receive the assistance they need to rebuild. I want him to know that Tennessee is doing our part to help those that are affected by Katrina. The past few days I have talked about some of the good work our west and middle Tennessee organizations have done to assist the recovery effort. Today I want to thank our Clarksville and Montgomery County, Tennessee, volunteers and organizations, especially those providing food, like Urban Ministries, Loaves & Fishes, and the Department of Human Resources. The Hilldale Church of Christ and the Cumberland Baptists Association are providing shelter. The Salvation Army Thrift Store and First Call For Help have provided clothing. We have seen Gateway Health System and our County Health Department assist with medical care. Austin Peay State University has opened their doors, and they are receiving displaced students. Mr. Speaker, in the aftermath of the hurricane, we have seen ordinary Americans do extraordinary things. I want to thank our Tennessee communities for pitching in.

Mrs. BLACKBURN

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. Speaker, you know some in Washington are choosing to score political points on the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina. But out there in real America, real Americans are working to assist those who have been displaced. I want to thank them for the great work that they are doing. Last week, I thanked our Memphis-area organizations who are helping our Gulf neighbors. Today I want to recognize the following Nashville-area organizations providing shelter. We have the Crievewood Baptist Church and Tulip Grove Baptist Church and their congregations; Clear View Baptist Church in Williamson County is providing shelter as well as food. Grace Works Ministries is collecting clothing and hygiene kits, and the Interfaith Dental Clinic is providing acute dental emergency care for free. The Montgomery Bell Academy Service Club has loaded an 18- wheeler full of supplies, and they sent it south to Mississippi. In Montgomery County, the Hilldale Church of Christ is doing the good work of taking in our neighbors. I have been in Mississippi to help with the relief efforts, and I applaud the Nation's aid organizations and all of the work the local charities and the outstanding volunteers are giving to our neighbors in need.

Mrs. BLACKBURN

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to take the Special Order time of the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Burton).

Mrs. BLACKBURN

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. Speaker, America has really seen a lot, we have been through a lot, in the past week. We have watched Hurricane Katrina from start to finish. We have seen it form in the Atlantic, sweep across Florida, and enter the gulf. And we have watched in horror as it has devastated the southern portions of Louisiana and Mississippi and Alabama. We have seen some horrific images. We have seen government make some mistakes. We have seen government rescue some folks. And we have watched everyday people perform extraordinary feats. Like most people, I have been impressed and sometimes sorely disappointed. For me there is a personal element. I grew up 60 miles inland from Gulfport, Mississippi. My family still lives there. I remember Hurricane Camille and the devastation that that storm caused. I was a senior in high school. I remember watching a lot of it play out, and I can tell the Members Hurricane Katrina is worse. Last week my husband, my children, and I all traveled to Laurel, Mississippi from Tennessee's 7th Congressional District. We took our turns. We took supplies, and we helped with the cleanup. My parents have been long-time volunteers with the American Red Cross, and Laurel is an area where many coastal residents flee when they are trying to outrun the storm. We knew that those volunteers could use the reinforcements, and absolutely they could. A lot them had no running water, no electricity, no gas, no gasoline available, no roof over their homes; but they were there at the shelter feeding those that were in need. That is America, Madam Speaker. That is the America that I grew up in, and that is the country that still today exists. As incredible as the damage is, what is more amazing to me was the way the local communities were all pulling together, the way Americans were traveling from all over, the way many of our colleagues in this Chamber were traveling from all over to get to the region and to lend a hand. And for all those who could not physically get there, we know they are home sending donations to charities, and they are aiding organizations. They might not be there physically; they are there in spirit. There is no measuring the generosity and compassion of the American people when they see need. The hurricane has told us that. So I want to thank every town, city, and State for sending help. As representative for Tennessee's 7th district, I want to take a moment and recognize the work of some of our Memphis and Shelby County organizations that have made it their mission to help any way that they possibly could. Our Memphis Corps of Engineers is already working to help rebuild the New Orleans levees. We are also thankful that the Bellevue Baptist Church, the Cathedral of Faith Ministries, Christ United Methodist Church, Cornerstone Institutional Baptist Church, the Cummings Street Baptist Church, the Greater Harvest Church of God in Christ and the Greater Praise Church of God in Christ, the Independent Presbyterian Church Grove, the Memphis Union Mission, Mid-South Baptist Association Retreat Center, and the Baptist Children's Home are all working to provide shelter for some of the 15,000 evacuees that are in Shelby County; and that the Friendship Baptist Church, the Germantown Presbyterian Church, the Oakland First Baptist Church are providing shelter and meals; and that the Breath of Life Seventh Day Adventist, the Calvary Episcopal Church, Holy Rosary Catholic Church and School, the Hope Presbyterian Church, Hutchison School, and the Impact Ministries of Memphis are all providing meals. Madam Speaker, I know there are other organizations that are out there working, and we will be talking about them as we help these evacuees find a place and rebuild their lives.

Mrs. BLACKBURN

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. Speaker, in Tennessee we are called ``volunteers,'' and that is for good reason because when our Nation is in need, our State responds. And such is the case we see this week and over the past several days as those who are the victims, the evacuees, from Hurricane Katrina have needed our help. Our Nation and our State have responded. This headline in the Williamson AM pretty much says it: ``Whatever we can do.'' And that is the way the people of Tennessee have responded, opening their churches, opening their homes, opening town halls to help those who are in need of supplies, in need of schooling for children, in need of a place to live, food to eat. I want to say thank you to all of those volunteers who have risen to the occasion in Tennessee, and I thank the volunteers all across the Nation who have responded to those who have found themselves in need because of the storm that we experienced last week.

Mrs. BLACKBURN

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. Speaker, today, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring several schools in Tennessee's 7th Congressional District that have been ranked among the best in the Nation. Both Brentwood High School and Franklin High School were found to be exemplary by Newsweek magazine. Brentwood High School, home of the Bruins, lives up to its mission statement of ``Excellence through teaching and learning.'' Few communities are fortunate enough to have one school noted for distinction, but we have been blessed with two. Franklin High School, home of the Rebels, was also credited by Newsweek for providing a quality education and giving our kids a great start. Mr. Speaker, these schools deserve our congratulations for their commitment to our community, and for planting the seeds of knowledge that will help make these students lifelong learners. All of us should offer our thanks to Principal Kevin Keidel of Brentwood High School and Principal Willie Dickerson of Franklin High School for their hard work and dedication.

Mrs. BLACKBURN

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. Speaker, the laws governing delivery of television programming in this country are outdated, and we have not kept up with emerging new technologies. I have introduced the Video Choice Act of 2005 to bring these laws into the 21st century. Current law requires that all companies interested in offering cable service or video service, as it is called in the industry, must negotiate an individual agreement with a local franchising authority. This mandate serves as a barrier to competition, effectively preventing new technologies from entering the market. The Video Choice Act of 2005 will streamline the franchising process for new marketplace entrance and give American consumers choice over their video and cable service at a lower cost. Our telecommunications services are rapidly changing and expanding. Congress must act to ensure our laws do not crush innovation and competition. The bill is H.R. 3146. The gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Wynn) is the cosponsor on this legislation with me. I look forward to working with him for its passage here in the House of Representatives.

Mrs. BLACKBURN

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. Speaker, they are asking what are we for and what is this bill all about? I will tell you what we are for, what this majority is for, and what this bill is about. It is about preserving access to health care in our local communities, lots of communities, like my Seventh District of Tennessee. It is not about sitting here and saying, oh, we think all it is going to take to address health care is a big, fat Federal Government. It is about access to health care in our local communities. Americans know that our health care costs are soaring. They also know that trial lawyers many times view our hospitals and our health care providers as a limitless ATM. That is the reason I cosponsored this legislation. My constituents have had enough. They have grown ill and fatigued with the stories that are out there, with seeing their local doctors run out of town, with seeing practices close up, and with knowing that they have access to less and less available health care. We know that only one in seven OB- GYNs now deliver babies for fear of being sued, and the national medical liability rate has risen almost 500 percent since 1976. This is an issue that affects our families. It affects women. It affects children. It affects our rural communities. This bill is a way to assist in preserving health care for our local communities.

Mrs. BLACKBURN

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank our committee chairman for the excellent work. In my district in Tennessee, our farmers are pleased that we are bringing this conference report to the floor. They understand affordable fuels, and they are looking forward to working alternative fuels. Our small business community is excited about available energy. Most importantly, Mr. Speaker, I think this sends a message that America, this Nation, this Congress, is serious about a comprehensive plan and is ready and willing to address the future needs of this Nation's energy supply.

Mrs. BLACKBURN

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. Speaker, it is a privilege to rise today to thank James R. Parker for more than three decades of service to the Nation. A dedicated employee of the Federal Government, James will be retiring from the Social Security Administration at the end of July. For years now, we've been able to count on James to help make government work better for all of us. While I'm thankful for James and his service, we'll miss the knowledge, compassion and tremendous work ethic he brought to every task. Tennessee is proud of James, and we all wish him and his wife, Patricia, a wonderful retirement.