Michele Bachmann

Mrs. BACHMANN

Mrs. BACHMANN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize St. Cloud Cathedral High School in Minnesota for winning the State class 2A baseball championship earlier this week. This really was a remarkable victory. After making a dramatic comeback, the Crusaders beat Fairmont 5-4. This victory marks the eighth championship for the team since 1977. With 44 seasons and 711 wins under his belt, Cathedral coach and alumnus Bob Karn has won more high school baseball games than any coach in Minnesota State history. Congratulations, Coach Karn. That is quite a record. Congratulations, Cathedral High School; and congratulations to all of the assistants, administrators, family members, and friends who made such a tremendous accomplishment possible. This is what America is really about, and we are with you in spirit today.

Mrs. BACHMANN

Mrs. BACHMANN. Mr. Speaker, it is with great pride and also a great deal of emotion that I stand here today as the representative of the citizens of Cold Spring. In particular, we are here to honor the memory of the fallen, and that is Officer Tommy Decker. On November 29, 2012, Cold Spring, Minnesota, Police Officer Tommy Decker was tragically killed in the line of duty. He is survived by his wife, Alicia, a wonderful woman who loved him dearly and whom Tommy dearly loved; his four young children, beautiful children, Kelly, Jade, Justin, and Devon; his parents, John and Rosella, pillars in the community of Cold Spring, who did a wonderful job raising their son and who Tommy's mother spoke to just briefly before he went on call for his final end of watch; and his siblings, his colleagues, and the community who dearly loved Tommy Decker. Before his final act of service to the community that he loved, Tommy served the communities of Isle, Watkins, Kimball, and the Cold Spring/ Richmond Police Department. He received several commendations and letters of appreciation for his exemplary work. How he died is testament to how much Tommy Decker loved his hometown of Cold Spring and the kind of man of character that Tommy Decker was. For a decade, he bravely stood watch. He protected the citizens of central Minnesota with both diligence and a sense of respect. The overwhelming outpouring of love and support, not only from the Cold Spring community but all Minnesotans in the wake of this unspeakable tragedy, speaks to the impact that Tommy had on countless lives. While there are no words that could ever properly honor him, renaming his hometown post office in his memory so that his children, his parents, his wife, his siblings, his colleagues can all point to this memorial with pride and say to their friends, my father, our son, my husband, our brother, our citizen was a hero in our community--he sacrificially gave of his life to our community--therefore, Mr. Speaker, is a fitting tribute to a life well lived and to a man greatly missed. As the Holy Scriptures teach us, Mr. Speaker, greater love hath no man than this, but that he laid down his life for his friends. Surely, this is what Tommy Decker did for the citizens of Cold Spring. I join the entire Minnesota House delegation in urging our colleagues to support H.R. 43, to rename the post office in Cold Spring, Minnesota, in honor of him the Officer Tommy Decker Memorial Post Office. Though Tommy is no longer with us, his legacy and example of courage and compassion lives on.

Mrs. BACHMANN

Mrs. BACHMANN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize 100 years of business by the Citizens State Bank Norwood Young America in Minnesota. In 1914, Peter Effertz opened the bank on 214 Elm Street where it remained for its first seventy years. Albert Kehrer acquired the bank in 1930 followed by Donald Kehrer beginning in 1952. Later, during the time when Clinton Kurtz and Leonard Lano owned the bank (1979-1999), it was moved to its present location on US Highway 212. The bank is now under the ownership of Paul Pieschel who continues to lead it with the original philosophy of wanting to make a difference in the everyday lives of the people it serves. Over the last 100 years, this community bank has worked hard to meet the needs of its customers--from a place to tie off a horse or park a Model T Ford to on-line banking and ATMs. Their motto is ``Person to person. Neighbor to neighbor. Yesterday, today and tomorrow.'' and they take pride in going above and beyond what their customers expect. The stability of both its ownership and leadership, and the sincere interest the employees have in each unique customer situation has provided genuine person-to-person connections with their customers for 100 years. As their recent newsletter states, ``Our long-term philosophy creates trust and motivates our customers to refer their neighbors and friends to the bank.'' Mr. Speaker, I ask this body join with me in honoring Citizens State Bank Norwood Young America upon reaching this noteworthy centennial milestone and to wish them continued success in the years to come.

Mrs. BACHMANN

Mrs. BACHMANN. Mr. Speaker, during rollcall 308 on the Democrat Motion to Recommit for H.R. 4457 to Amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to permanently extend increased expensing limitations, and for other purposes--I was away from the floor handling issues for a constituent of my district and I intended to vote ``no.''

Mrs. BACHMANN

Mrs. BACHMANN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize McDonalds Meats of Clear Lake, Minnesota, as it celebrates 100 years of business. When Mr. John Leo McDonald purchased a meat market in Clear Lake, Minnesota in 1914, little did anyone know how long-lasting this family business would be. Forty years after the business started, John's son Richard took over, meeting the growing demand for business and expanding their facility. Thirty-five years after that Richard's son, David McDonald, became the head of the family business. Taking on this rich family tradition, David not only expanded the facility for a second time to meet the growing demand for their delicious meats, but he also started experimenting with jerky flavors. Business was booming. David took over full ownership in 1994. Thirteen years later, Travis and Jennifer McDonald, fourth generation McDonalds, continue the family business, providing excellence in service and delicious meats, leading the business into its 100th year. Like many family-owned businesses throughout our state, McDonalds Meats provides not only a service; but also a sense of security, family and community. It is this sense of tradition that helps make Minnesota a great place to raise a family. For 100 years and four generations, this hometown business has provided a rich variety of smoked sausages, jerky, deli meats and cheeses, all from their own smokehouses and sausage kitchen. Mr. Speaker, I ask this body join with me in honoring McDonalds Meats upon reaching this noteworthy centennial milestone. Here's to another century of quality meats.

Mrs. BACHMANN

Mrs. BACHMANN. Mr. Speaker, due to responsibilities within my district I would like to submit how I intended to vote on the following: Tuesday May 6--``yes'' on rollcall 194; ``yes'' on rollcall 195; ``yes'' on rollcall 196. Thursday, May 8--``yes'' on rollcall 205; ``yes'' on rollcall 206; ``yes'' on rollcall 207; ``no'' on rollcall 208; ``yes'' on rollcall 209. Friday, May 9--``no'' on rollcall 210; ``yes'' on rollcall 211; ``no'' on rollcall 212; ``no'' on rollcall 213; ``no'' on rollcall 214; ``no'' on rollcall 215; ``no'' on rollcall 216; ``yes'' on rollcall 217.

Mrs. BACHMANN

Mrs. BACHMANN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Art and Winnie Rohrheim's 75th wedding anniversary. When the couple married in 1939, little did anyone know the impact that they would have on the world. What began as a personal passion for working with children in Chicago, Illinois, grew quickly into a successful program driven by their love and dedication to God and the kids. By 1950, the Rohrheims founded Awana, the now-internationally renowned program, which stands for ``Approved Workers Are Not Ashamed.'' Today Awana Clubs International reaches more than 2 million children in more than 100 countries on a weekly basis, encouraging young people everywhere to grow in their faith and learn more about the Bible's teachings. At the heart of Awana is the Gospel. Art and Winnie have devoted a lifetime to their Lord and Savior. Not a day goes by that they aren't sharing with those they meet the truth of Jesus dying for our sins. For three quarters of a century, Art and Winnie's strength of love and commitment has been a testimony for their children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and all those who have had the honor of knowing them. Mr. Speaker, I ask this body join with me in honoring Art and Winnie Rohrheim for their milestone wedding anniversary, and their exemplary contributions to this nation and the lives of millions around the world.

Mrs. BACHMANN

Mrs. BACHMANN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the final Honor Flight out of St. Cloud, Minnesota during my tenure as their Member of Congress. It has been a highlight of my career to honor our nation's heroes from World War II, Korea, and Vietnam and help them see the monuments built in their honor in Washington. For many of these veterans this is their first trip to their nation's capital, and their first glimpse of the pivotal role they've played in furthering the cause of liberty. These men and women selflessly and heroically defended America abroad, and for that, simple words of gratitude will never compare to the bravery they exhibited during some of America's darkest hours. The example set by these men and women has inspired many others to follow in their footsteps. And the efforts and dedication of the Guardians who ensure that the veterans have safe accommodations and assistance throughout their visit also cannot be forgotten. Mr Speaker, I ask this body to join me in honoring our nation's heroes from World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. They truly are the living embodiment of the American values and freedoms we hold so dear. Minnesota Veterans aboard the final Honor Flight from St. Cloud Minnesota to Washington, DC, on April 22, 2014 for submission into the Congressional Record. Werner Leland Allen, Paul Clinton Anderson, Oliver Newton Anderson, Edwin Theodore Aschenbrenner, Donald Dean Baustian, Leland Lorell Bennett, Richard John Bernick, Alfred Irwin Betcher, Bernard Nicholas Bitzan, Wayne Elwood Bonkrude, Vernon Lee Butson, James Edward Carpenter, Harold Lee Carver, Bruce Kay Cottington, Robert John Danaher. George Harvey DeMarais, Paul Eugene Demarce, Richard Vernon Forbes, Oran Everett Goodell, Orville Charles Haan, Donald Herman Handahl, Cletus Marcel Hohn, Wallace Allen Jacobson, Carl Raymond Johnson, Robert Jermayne Johnson, Paul Joseph Jost, William Jackason Kathman, Donald Herman Krueger, Bryon Lee Kunkel, Bernard Louis Lieder. Harry Edwin Lindbloom, Eugene Burton McKee, Carl August Morris, Emery Marshel Nelson, Verne Francis Rech, Thomas Daniel Routhe, Robert Leon Ruplinger, Elmer Peter Schumer, Kenneth Alan Tessmer, Robert 011ie Uppgaard, Robert Allen Walters, Gerald Fredrick Wright, John Arthur Adelman, George William Aleshire, Gerald Dean Ankerfelt. Clarence Louis Beckmann, Rudolph George Beilke, Kenneth Joseph Belkolm, Gerald James Benusa, Eugene Joseph Borgert, Donald Norman Bungum, Edward Henry Burggraff, Kenneth Burton Christiansen, George Wilford Courrier, Ervin Carl Damlow, Lyle Edward Doebbeling, Clarence Herman Fischer, James Earl Gloege, Douglas John Goenner. Peter Gronewold, Chester Engnor Hopland, Donald John Huberty, Elmore Virgil Johnson, Richard Matthew Kahlhamer, John Thomas Keefe, Rodney Clark Kenyon, Ronald Eugene Krebs, Willard Harvey Krueger, Marvin Virgil Kumpula, Ernest Dominic Lewandowski, Ervin Daniel Lewandowski, Vernon George Maslow, Aloys Herman Meyer, Francis Charles Mortier. Robert Howard Pellow, Roger Jerome Robeck, Gerald Sylvester Roering, DuWayne Herbert Sabrowsky, Allen Dale Simonson, Lester Reynold Thies, Richard Arlen Underdahl, Chauncey Edward Van Hatten, Dayle Jacob Von Holdt, Joseph Frank Wallschlaeger Sr., Cornelius Ni Warzecha, Ronald Duane Weiss, Richard Jake Wolf, Charles Wood Wright, Norbert Joseph Zahler, Donald Bernard Zahler.

Mrs. BACHMANN

Mrs. BACHMANN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the College of St. Benedict (CSB) of St. Joseph, Minnesota as it finishes up its centennial school year. Founded in 1913, CSB became the thirteenth all-female Catholic liberal arts residential college in the United States. Later partnering with the all-male St. John's University, students today enjoy an academic environment committed to sciences, literature and the arts, which the school notes is ``to prepare students not only to make a living, but to appreciate the richness and beauty of living as well.'' CSB prepares their students well. Alumni have gone on to be successful in a number of different fields, with notable graduates including teachers, doctors, activists, judges, entrepreneurs, and even a college president. For 100 years, parents have sent their daughters to this historic campus knowing that they will find a learning environment that promotes the Benedictine values--such as stewardship, truthful living, respect, and community--that continue to enrich central Minnesota. And no matter how far their graduates go, whether it be geographically or in their careers, they know that once a Bennie, always a Bennie. The Class of 2017 led the charge this year as the second century of Bennies. May these students continue to grow in their faith and pursue their dreams under their instructors' guidance, and join the generations of alumni that have done such tremendous work for their community, for their state, and for their country. Mr. Speaker, I ask this body join with me in honoring the students, alumni, staff, and faculty of the College of St. Benedict for reaching the noteworthy centennial milestone. Here's to another century of quality education.

Mrs. BACHMANN

Mrs. BACHMANN. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mrs. BACHMANN. I thank my wonderful colleague from the State of Wyoming. Madam Speaker, I would like to stipulate, first of all, that all Republican women are pro-women and that all Republican men that serve in this Congress are pro-women, as are the Democrat women and the Democrat men in this Congress. A ``no'' vote on the current legislation, which I advocate for, very simply, is a vote to stand up for the pro-life movement, a vote to stand up for traditional marriage, and a vote to stand up for the traditional family. There already are 20 women's museums in the United States, including one affiliated with the Smithsonian Museum and including one right next to the United States Capitol. So why would we be building another? I rise today in opposition to this bill because I believe, ultimately, this museum that would be built on The National Mall, on Federal land, will enshrine the radical feminist movement that stands against the pro-life movement, the pro-family movement, and the pro- traditional marriage movement. The idea of celebrating women is admirable. It is shared by everyone in this Chamber. No one disputes that. And a few of the museum's proposed exhibits are worthy. No one disputes that. I, for one, am honored to be featured in an online exhibit about motherhood that highlights our 23 foster children and our five biological children. However, I am deeply concerned that any worthy exhibits are clearly the exception and not the rule. A cursory view of the overall content already listed on the Web site shows an overwhelming bias toward women who embrace liberal ideology, radical feminism, and it fails to paint an accurate picture of the lives and actions of American women throughout our history. The most troubling example is the museum's glowing review of the woman who embraced the eugenics movement in the United States, Margaret Sanger. She is an abortion trailblazer, and she is the founder of Planned Parenthood, which this body has sought to defund. Yet the museum glosses over Margaret Sanger's avid support for sterilization of women and abortion and for the elimination of chosen ethnic groups, particularly African Americans, and classes of people. I find Margaret Sanger's views highly offensive, yet she is featured over and over again as a woman to extoll on this Web site and, ultimately, in this museum. Adding in a conservative woman to balance out Sanger's inclusion does not alleviate the fact that the museum tries to whitewash her abhorrent views and props Margaret Sanger up as a role model for our daughters and for our granddaughters. The list of troubling examples goes on, including the fact they leave out the pro-life views of the early suffragettes. But let's face it, we wouldn't be here today if it weren't the museum's ultimate goal to get a place on The Federal Mall, for land, and for Federal funding. If you look at their authorizing legislation, you will see that it was a template for this legislation: begin with a commission, then congressional approval, and finally Federal funding. For 16 years, this group has tried to raise financial support, and the museum has only been able to raise enough to cover the current operating expenses and salaries of those trying to get this museum. Nothing has gone toward the $400 million for its building. As it is currently written, the legislation lacks the necessary safeguards to ensure that the proposed museum will not become an ideological shrine to abortion, that will eventually receive Federal funding and a prominent spot on The National Mall. I thank the leading pro-life groups, like Concerned Women for America, Eagle Forum, Family Research Council, Susan B. Anthony List, and Heritage Action, among others, who have been outspoken on standing up for the right to life for all Americans in an accurate portrayal of American women. Since these concerns have not been adequately addressed, I urge my colleagues to join me in voting against H.R. 863.

Mrs. BACHMANN

Mrs. BACHMANN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the recipients of the St. Cloud Area Chamber of Commerce Small Business of the Year, the Family Owned Business of the Year, and the Business Central Mark of Excellence-Emerging Entrepreneurs. These individuals stand out to the Chamber as ``those who have the courage to aspire to a higher level'' as business owners and community members. Jim Kruze and Melissa Kelley of J. F. Kruze Jewelers were awarded the 2014 St. Cloud Area Chamber Small Business of the Year. Though he never intended to own a jewelry store, Jim learned early on that he had a knack for sales and found himself eager to learn more about the jewelry industry. Fourteen years after returning to the business, Jim and his daughter, gemologist and co-owner Melissa Kelley, have doubled the size of their original store and specialize in custom jewelry. The St. Cloud Area Chamber Family Owned Business of the Year is awarded to Pat and Paul Duininck of Royal Tire. Founded in 1948, Roger Duininck acquired the store in 1987 and raised his sons, Pat and Paul, with the family business, which provides retail and commercial tire sales, service, and repair and operates two retreading plants in Minnesota. Since Pat and Paul joined the family business, (1979 and 1984 respectively) it has tripled in size from 100 employees and 12 stores in Central Minnesota to 300 employees and 26 stores, covering an area from Rochester, MN to Williston, ND to Virginia, MN. With the 2013 purchase of their 3rd manufacturing plant in Rochester, MN, Royal Tire is ready to provide quality service to another community far into the future. The Business Central Mark of Excellence-Emerging Entrepreneurs's inaugural recipients are the six second-generation co-owners of Midwest Machinery, Co.: Ben and Andrew Swenson; Brian, Corey and Adam Weber; and Paul Seipel. Originally a merger of eight separate John Deere locations into one company, Midwest Machinery's focus on strong and skillful management has paid off. With four new stores last year, the business now boasts an impressive 13 locations. Not bad for a team of owners all under the age of 40! The St. Cloud Area Chamber of Commerce made a great decision in highlighting the owners and managers of J. F. Kruze Jewelers, Royal Tire and Midwest Machinery, Co. as this year's winners. They not only provide a quality service to their customers and boost the local economy, they also serve as a notable example to their communities of the importance of family-owned and small businesses--they are lifeblood to our beloved state. Mr. Speaker, I ask this body join with me in honoring J. F. Kruze Jewelers, Royal Tire and Midwest Machinery, Co. for their accomplishments and their invaluable contributions to the state of Minnesota.

Mrs. BACHMANN

Mrs. BACHMANN. Mr. Speaker, I move that the House do now adjourn.

Mrs. BACHMANN

Mrs. BACHMANN. Mr. Speaker, I am grateful to be here tonight. Today is a significant day. It is Holocaust Remembrance Day. And the greatest ally that the United States has, Israel, had a remarkable experience that they hold every day because of the unique situation that the Jewish people have endured, and that is, the entire nation and all of the people in Israel come to a complete stop. Cars literally stop in the middle of highways. Buses literally stop in the middle of highways. Metros stop. If a pedestrian is walking on a street, kids playing in a park, they stop. A siren goes off for 2 minutes' time, and during that time every person in the nation comes to a standstill. Why? Why this extraordinary action? Because, quite simply, nothing like the history of Israel has ever happened anywhere in the annals of recorded human history. It is this: 6 million people lost their lives. They lost their lives simply because they were Jewish. They were children, they were grandparents, they were moms and dads. They were disfigured. They were disabled. They were high functioning. They weren't even necessarily in Israel. They were in countries all across primarily European areas. But 6 million died. And it is important that we never forget. That we never forget that a people were so brutally targeted that 6 million were killed virtually in silence; silence because of the devious ways in which the German regime carried out this horrific action. That is what happened about 70 years ago. We will commemorate D-day, the 70th anniversary this June 6, as we should, probably one of the greatest sacrifices ever made by one people for another, led in large part by the Americans to liberate Europe as they were under this cloud of Adolf Hitler. It is a horrific past, but it is something that we have to remember because we can never forget. We can never, ever, ever forget. We join with our great ally Israel today as we remember this horrific act. It was a racist act on the part of Adolf Hitler. It was a bigoted act on the part of Adolf Hitler, and I think that is why today we are all rather shocked when the story was disclosed that our American Secretary of State had made comments last Friday behind closed doors in a meeting with members of the Trilateral Commission, and he had said that if Israel does not go along with the proposed two-state solution, that Israel would risk becoming an apartheid state. Now that is a shocking comment to come from an American Secretary of State, particularly to have this comment revealed on Holocaust Remembrance Day, to accuse the Jewish people who have undergone what no other people have undergone, a horrific act to be targeted by Adolf Hitler some 70 years ago, within the lifetime of some people who remain alive today. And yet our Secretary of State, accusing this nation of engaging in an act, an institutional act against another people based upon race with no evidence whatsoever because there is none. I want to read the definition of the 1998 Rome statute. It says: The crime of apartheid is defined as inhuman acts committed in the context of an institutionalized regime of systematic oppression and domination by one racial group over any other racial group or groups and committed with the intention of maintaining that regime. Now, that would apply to an Adolf Hitler. That did apply in the case of South Africa. It does not in any possible imagination or universe apply in any possible sense to the Jewish State of Israel, and yet that is what our Secretary of State said last Friday in reference to our greatest ally. Our Secretary of State needs to apologize humbly to the people of Israel, and then he needs to tender his resignation immediately to the President of the United States. But our Secretary of State did not stop there. He went on to reiterate a statement that he had made prior that merely was an echo of what the Palestinians had intimated, and it was this: That Israel could be looking at a third fatwa--that is a war--that Israel could look at a war by the Palestinians, by people who would engage in terrorist acts against Israel, that Israel could be looking at the threat of another war if they failed to give up 40 percent of their land to people who, number one, don't recognize that Israel has the right to exist; number two, that they have the right to exist as the Jewish state; and number three, that they have the right to defend themselves. Since when do we force our greatest ally to sit down with people and negotiate with people who want to see them killed and annihilated? That is the stated position of Hamas. Just read article 7 of the Hamas charter. The head of the Palestinian Authority, Abbas, recently said: I am 79 years old, and I have no intention of changing my ways. In other words, he has no intention of recognizing the legitimacy of the Jewish State of Israel and their right to exist. And the United States is expecting, our Secretary of State is expecting after that statement, not only that Israel would sit down and negotiate in good faith with people who have said unequivocally they will never recognize the right to exist. And Israel is the bad guy here, Mr. Speaker? Mr. Speaker, I think we have our priorities wrong. Not only did Abbas say he would not recognize Israel's right to exist, we also heard last week that the Palestinian Authority and Hamas, which is a foreign terrorist organization, part of the violent Muslim Brotherhood, have said that they are looking to merge--the Palestinian Authority and Hamas. And again, we are going to force our great ally, Israel, to sit down at a negotiating table and negotiate with terrorists over Israel's right to exist and give the terrorists 40 percent of their land? This is madness. This is once again an alternative universe that doesn't make any sense. Our Secretary of State went on to say that Israel has built 14,000 living units, apartments, extra rooms, what have you, for Jewish people. Well, of course, a population that increases has to build apartments. How many times has our Secretary of State talked about the Palestinian building of apartments on their land? Because, after all, this is Israelis building apartments on their own land. Since when is this a detriment to peace? And since when will our American Secretary of State ever call out the Palestinians and say those Palestinians, they shouldn't be building apartments, they shouldn't be building houses on their own land. Are you kidding? In the multiple times that I have been to Israel and the multiple times that I have been to Ramallah, to the Palestinian Authority, it is a building bonanza going on in the Palestinian Authority. And if it is their land, more power to them. Let them go ahead and build. Since when is it wrong for Israel to build on their own land? You see, there is a reason why the Obama administration has been accused of being the most anti-Israel American administration since Harry Truman wisely recognized the modern Jewish state's sovereignty in May of 1948. Eleven minutes after Israel declared her independence, the greatest military economic super powerhouse of the world, the United States of America, recognized Israel's right to exist. That meant something because our strength and our wealth was behind Israel. We had Israel's back. No one, no nation, thinks that America unequivocally has Israel's back today. All you have to do is look at Israel's neighborhood. It has become a very dangerous place, a very dangerous place, indeed. The epicenter of jihad today is on Israel's border in Syria. There are more weapons floating around in the Middle East today in the hands of terrorists than ever before; and yet our Secretary of State, rather than being focused on Iran obtaining a nuclear weapon, which it has stated unequivocally it will use to annihilate the Jewish state and to murder millions of Jewish people in Israel, rather than the Secretary of State calling out Iran for its ongoing action tonight, as I am speaking before C-SPAN and before the Speaker of this House, tonight, Iran has thousands and thousands and thousands of centrifuges spinning, fissile material that can be used and converted into nuclear weapons. Tonight, as we speak, research and development continues to go on for nuclear warheads. Tonight, as I speak, Iran continues to work on a delivery system--a missile delivery system to deliver a nuclear bomb, a nuclear warhead with the fissile material to take out Israel. The fact is Iran already has the capability to deliver a missile into Israel. What they don't have is that capability yet to deliver a nuclear warhead against us, the United States. You see, that is Iran's ultimate goal. They call us, the U.S., the Great Satan. Israel is the Little Satan. So, of course, the goal of Iran will be let's wipe out, with a nuclear weapon, some strategic main cities in America, so that we can achieve our real goal, which is the annihilation of the Jewish State of Israel. That is the goal. Where is our Secretary of State calling out Iran? What about the epicenter of jihad, Syria, where weapons are awash? Where is our Secretary of State there, talking about the numerous, numerous terrorist organizations that are already running completely independent in Syria? Where is our Secretary of State talking about the problem with the communist nation of Russia, which has illegally seized Crimea and is now making incursions into the eastern area of Ukraine? I just returned from a trip, Mr. Speaker, on Sunday, visiting some former Soviet bloc nations to talk about their response to the aggressive illegal actions of Russia and what is happening to reset the table in the former Soviet bloc nations. These are nations that are very worried about what they are seeing. They are worried because they understand that you can trust a communist to be a communist, and their actions today are a mere image of what their actions were formerly. Russia recognizes that, if no one pushes back, they will continue to salivate over more lands and more influence and seek to dominate more people. Russia is responsible for enslaving millions of people. In fact, they even murdered tens of millions of their own people under Stalin. This is a regime that needs to be watched. Unfortunately, under our previous Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, she gave, in my opinion, unwisely, the reset button to the former Russian government and apparently didn't think that they would push the button. They did. They pushed the reset button, and they pushed it in a way that has the Soviet Union looking at the United States and making the calculation that the United States is now a weak power, that we have weakened ourself, and therefore, now is Russia's opportune time to seek to influence and pull back into the fold former Soviet bloc nations. As we have learned from history, when a madman speaks, listen. Madmen spoke in the form of Lenin and Stalin, and millions--tens of millions of people were enslaved in misery for decades. The same happened under Adolf Hitler, with a madman who spoke, and he murdered 6 million Jewish people. That is why we have, today, the Holocaust Remembrance Day. We need to pay attention today to the thugs and rulers that are making their mad statements. They are doing it again. That is why again--why did the Obama administration demand that Israel release from prison over 100 murdering terrorists, murderers who murdered innocent people--children, women, men--in order for the Palestinian authority just to go to the table and have negotiations and talks? Now, these same leaders are saying: Don't worry, we will never recognize the Jewish state; and, oh, by the way, we want to form up a new league with a terrorist organization. That is why I say tonight, Mr. Speaker, our Secretary of State has to first apologize to the Jewish state and then tender his resignation. I call on President Obama, Mr. Speaker, to completely change course on his foreign policy. We are looking at one foreign policy disaster after another. After the thugs of the world have calculated that the United States has put itself into a position of weakness, while we are in the process of gutting the greatest military force in the world, the bad actors of the world are recalculating and resetting the table. We are seeing China making aggressive moves that we haven't seen before against Japan and causing trouble in that area and region of the world. We are seeing Russia making incursions, again, as I just said, in Eastern Europe that we haven't seen before. Even just today, we heard of a mayor in eastern Ukraine who was shot in the back by Russian forces. Just over this last weekend, there were those who were killed also in Ukraine and those who were taken hostage. This is moving forward. This isn't stopping. This is moving forward. In Syria, with the epicenter of jihad, and as we saw three Americans killed--innocent Americans killed in Afghanistan by a member of the Taliban. You see, they are making calculations, these murderers. They are looking at the United States. They are seeing this failed foreign policy. They are seeing that America won't stand up for her allies, like the Jewish State of Israel, and at every turn, we lift up the agenda, for some inexplicable reason, of the radical Islamist who seeks to destroy the Jewish state and destroy the United States of America. It is a policy that will lead to a day that I believe we will all regret. That is why America and the world needs to wake up and listen to these bad actors. So when our Secretary of State calls the Jewish State of Israel an apartheid state, it is more than unhelpful. Those words are dangerous because a state that was born after seeing 6 million of its compatriots, one-third of the entire Jewish population in the world at that time, one-third of its people annihilated by the maniacal evil ruler named Hitler, to see them called an apartheid state, institutional oppression, really? There is no such thing. You will find it nowhere. Mr. Speaker, as we look again to the Jewish state and as we remember with great sadness what this day signifies, the incredible loss of life that this signifies, I am reminded of the violence that I witnessed myself on a recent trip that I took to Israel. I was in the area that President Obama and Secretary of State Kerry have demanded that the Jewish state give up and yield, which is 40 percent of its land. It is the biblical homeland of the Jewish people. Hebron is the city, essentially, where the Jewish people were born. Abraham was in Hebron. It was in Hebron where I was invited into the home of a Jewish woman who is in a so-called settlement and has been there for decades. She invited me into her kitchen. In her kitchen, she showed me some of the doors on her cabinets. Those doors on her cabinets had bullet holes in them, Mr. Speaker, bullet holes, bullet holes fired across her land, over her deck, in through the glass windows of her kitchen and into the cabinet doors of her kitchen. Every day, her family is reminded of the very real existence that they have, that they literally can be in their home and bullets can fly in to a place where children should be able to be free, where a wife should be able to whip up supper or breakfast and not have to dodge bullets. You see, that is the very real existence that the Jewish citizens have had to face in the southwestern section of Israel, where I had a chance to live for a summer. The day after I graduated from high school, I was privileged to be able to go and live and work on a kibbutz down in Be'er Sheva. Kibbutz Be'eri is the area now that is oftentimes dealing with the violence from Gaza where Qasam and various rockets are fired from Gaza into the Jewish area with no other intention other than killing innocent civilians. This is what Israel deals with on nearly a daily basis. Mr. Speaker, just in the month of February alone this year in 2014, there were more rockets that were shot into Israel in this one month this year in February than there were all of the previous 12 months in 2013 put together. The Jewish state is under attack, and yet what is Israel's response? In Israel, especially in the area known as the disputed territory, what is called occupied territory by people in our United States State Department, the greatest human rights that women--Arab Muslim women in the Middle East are afforded is in no other country but Israel, in the so-called occupied territory. That is the area where women--Arab Muslim women enjoy the greatest protection of human rights, and Israel is being called the apartheid state--Muslim women enjoying the greatest rights that they can find anywhere in the Middle East in Israel. What about jobs? Jobs are available for Palestinians in Israel at higher wages, at better conditions, and they are grateful to have those jobs. I was in the area where there is a threat by now potentially European nations and other nations. Even 5,000 academics from America were calling for boycotts, divestment, and sanctions on any products that are made in the so- called occupied territories of Judea and Samaria. Those are Israel's biblical homeland. There are 3,500 years of history. Just pick up the Bible, read the Bible. This is the land that God gave to Abraham. He said: I give you this land, Abraham, to you and your descendants through Isaac. Through the descendants of Abraham, I give you this land, not just for a year or 5 years or 10 years. But in the Bible, God said: I give you this land for eternity. If you don't want to believe the Bible or if you think that it is a book of fiction, that is up to you. I believe it is true. You can look at historic documents. You can look at documents from this last century. International agreements gave this particular piece of land not to any other country but to Israel. This is Israel's rightful land. Don't we recognize that this has been a very long effort on the part of the Arab Muslim people, who made a decision that they don't want Israel to exist? As I said previously, Mr. Speaker, even the head of the Palestinian Authority--Abbas--has said: I am 79 years old. I am certainly not about to recognize Israel now. He is the one Israel is supposed to negotiate with? Even with the leader of the Palestinian Authority--and going back for decades--the stated position has been from the Palestinians: Israel does not have the right to exist. We will push the Jews into the sea, and we will take it over. It isn't that they just don't want Israel. It is that they don't want any Jews in Israel. They want Jews gone. They don't want Jews anywhere on the planet. There is nowhere they believe that the Jewish people have the right to exist. And this is after 6 million Jews were murdered by Hitler? You see, there is an ongoing genocide, if you will, because there is a group of people who still believes today that the Jews have no right to exist. This isn't just a modern phenomenon. You can go back to the days of Haman, when Haman didn't want to have the Jewish people exist, and he persuaded the king at that time to issue an edict to eliminate and exterminate all of the Jewish people. One woman--her name was Esther--was called upon by her uncle, Mordecai, and Mordecai said to her: Esther, could it be that you have been called to a position for such a time as this? Mordecai, her uncle, called upon Queen Esther, and said to the queen: You need to go to the king, and you need to ask the king to pardon the Jewish people from this death sentence. Esther said to her uncle: But if I go in to the king, I could be killed. I am not allowed to just go in to the king. I have to wait until he calls upon me. That is when Mordecai infamously said to his niece, to Queen Esther: Could it be but that you were appointed for such a time as this? She rose up at that moment. She had courage, and she went before the king. The king, rather than banishing her or rather than having her see the end of her life, called her in, and he asked what it was that she wanted. She made the request and interceded on behalf of the Jewish people, and, ultimately, the Jewish people were spared. You see, Mr. Speaker, this isn't a one-off. This is throughout history--from the time of the creation of the Jewish people through Abraham and through Abraham's line. This was a God thing. He created this people. He created this race. In the Book of Genesis, it is extremely clear: Those who bless Israel, I will bless, says God. Those who curse Israel, I will curse, says God. That isn't just a one-off. It is for all time. The United States of America, I believe--it is my opinion--has been singularly blessed by standing by the Jewish people, and on this day of remembrance of the Holocaust, we stand with Israel. We, too, remember, and we stand up against those who want to see the extermination and the annihilation of the Jewish race. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mrs. BACHMANN

Mrs. BACHMANN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Coach Kevin Schlagel of St. Cloud, Minnesota, upon his retirement after 40 years of service to the St. Cloud State University Men's Basketball Program. Kevin Schlagel's dedication to Huskies basketball began when he was a player from 1972-1976 and helped bring home the Northern Intercollegiate Conference title his senior year. After 18 seasons as their top assistant coach, he was named the head coach of the Huskies during the 1997-1998 season. Under Coach Schlagel's leadership the Huskies earned a selection in the NCAA tournament eight times, and won the NCC Wells Fargo Finals Tournament twice, the NSIC Sanford Health Tournament twice, and the North Central Conference regular season title once. In the Huskies' most prolific season ever, 2009-2010, they won a school record 29 games and made it to the NCAA Division II Final Four. After 17 years as the head coach, Kevin Schlagel is the winningest Men's Basketball coach in Huskies history with an overall record of 321-149. Coach Schlagel is a great example of the important role that coaches play in our communities. He has been a true leader to young people, helping them develop skills that will enable them to be successful long after their last game. Mr. Speaker, I ask this body to join me in honoring Coach Kevin Schlagel upon his successful career at St. Cloud State University.

Mrs. BACHMANN

Mrs. BACHMANN. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Kansas for sponsoring this extremely important time we are taking today. It is so important because this is a law, the signature piece of the President's legislative agenda, the ObamaCare act that we are dealing with today has impacted people's lives in such a profound way. I am reminded of the President of the United States who, five days before he assumed office, said he was planning to fundamentally transform the United States of America. We didn't know if that was rhetorical flourish or exactly what it would mean. It has taken many forms since that time, but one thing I didn't think I would ever see in my district on the faces of beautiful, innocent people is a fundamental transformation. But I can tell you very clearly, Madam Speaker, that I have seen a fundamental transformation in the face of a lot of women, women's faces in my district, and it is this: I am seeing them, for the first time, not be able to look me in the eye. There is a loss of dignity. There is a sense of shame, and there is an embarrassment because there are women, Madam Speaker, who had full- time jobs who could support their families, and now, they don't have them. They have been lost because their employer no longer can keep the full-time jobs. I have seen women who have lost their jobs altogether. I have seen women whose hours have been backed off to the extent that they can hardly afford to pay the gas to go in the car to get to work. Life has really changed for women in my district. This isn't made up. This is real. That is the fundamental transformation, and I am sorry to say, Madam Speaker, it is not for the better. You see, we all hoped that, perhaps once this bill passed, that maybe we would be proven wrong. Maybe this bill actually would help a lot of women in our district. I am not denying that there aren't a few people who have been helped--there are some--but what is remarkable is the number of men and women who I have met who lost health insurance, who said to me: Michele, what happened? The President promised me if I liked my plan, I could keep it. Why can't I keep it? They have said to me: Michele, I relied on my doctor. One woman who called me was scheduled for cancer surgery. She was denied. She wasn't able to go through. The hospital canceled it. Then her doctor was changed out from under her and she was depressed. She didn't know where she could go. We spent hours on the phone to try and help find someone who could take care of her. Then I got a call, Madam Speaker, from a female physician who said: I want you to know, in my practice, I spend 90 percent of my time speaking to my patients, diagnosing them, and giving them advice, and now I spend 50 percent of my time doing that because I have to spend 50 percent of my time filling out paperwork. Madam Speaker, let's listen to the women of this country and fundamentally transform their lives for the better. That is why I support H.R. 2575, the Save American Workers Act.

Mrs. BACHMANN

Mrs. BACHMANN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize an extremely important person. Today marks 25 years that Kim Rubin has worked here on Capitol Hill. In the 1980s, Kim Rubin accepted an internship with former Congressman Jack Kemp from her home State of New York. She has come a long way since then. She has been with me, I am proud to say, since day one that I served in the United States Congress. I have never met anyone more loyal, more dependable, or more organized. Not only does Kim coordinate our office's schedule and those of our entire staff, she works diligently as our office manager. Somehow, she still has the time and energy to be a dedicated wife to her loving husband, Howie, and also to her two beautiful daughters, Lexi and Livi. She is also a volleyball coach, and her nickname is Coach K. As Kim says, her life is centered on faith, family, and pursuing what makes you happy. I don't know how Kim does it all, but it has been an honor to work with Kim Rubin for these past 8 years. While we will part ways after we both retire this year, I know I will have a lifelong friend in the indomitable Kim Rubin. Congratulations and thank you, Kim Rubin.

Mrs. BACHMANN

Mrs. BACHMANN. That is exactly right. That is government-enforced coercion on religious belief. It varies at caprice and whim. That is one thing under the rule of law that has been a pillar of American exceptionalism, the fact that under the rule of law there is certainty for the American people. If you look at the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, you knew with certainty when you woke up tomorrow morning that your religious liberties were intact. Now, apparently, today, the gentleman was in the Chamber and heard that, according to at least one Supreme Court Justice, in her opinion, they aren't so certain anymore. It is not only the election of the Court, but at the election of the unnamed bureaucrat who decides today we will have these killer drugs that we mandate. Tomorrow what drugs will they take off the list? Will I not get lifesaving drugs that I would need to get? Will I not get lifesaving treatments that I thought I was going get? Will the bureaucrats decide that only politically connected best friends of the administration get certain surgical procedures or get to see the best doctors? We don't know, because apparently the Supreme Court has decided that the bureaucracy must be fully imbued with all power. That means again that the President and his administration wins their religious liberty and the right to force their religious views down the throats of the American people. While the President wins, the American people lose, and they lose under the protections of the Constitution. It is unlike anything we have ever seen before in the history of the United States of America. It is a seminal day in Washington, D.C., and it is why the American people better wake up really quickly and watch what is happening, because we are living in a country we no longer recognize. It is being rewritten by unelected bureaucrats. It is being rewritten by Supreme Court Justices who apparently think that the amendments in the Constitution are optional rather than mandatory.

Mrs. BACHMANN. I would like to share my experience with it, because as Members of Congress we were forced to go into ObamaCare. The only exchange we were allowed to go in was the one here in Washington, D.C. It is called a small business link. The only small business is Congress, the government. We are the ones put in. Just for the record, my own individual premium increased for the same number of people in our family that we would have to cover. Our premium was scheduled to increase times four. So we would have had to increase our premium by four times, and our deductible was quadrupled. That also went up four times. So there was no Affordable Care Act in our family. It is an extremely unaffordable health insurance act. I would be curious to know if the Supreme Court Justices would voluntarily put themselves in ObamaCare so they, too, could know the pleasure of what it is to pay four times more for the same health insurance than my family paid last year.

Mrs. BACHMANN. By the way, isn't it true, if the gentleman recalls, that while this Supreme Court Justice was just advocating, in a flippant way, drop health insurance coverage for over 16,000 employees, doesn't that same Supreme Court Justice enjoy Federal employee health insurance? And isn't that same Supreme Court Justice protected from not going into ObamaCare? It seems to me that our President is not in ObamaCare nor are the Supreme Court Justices in ObamaCare. It seems to me that there is a shield of protection for them. It is good enough for the American people to suffer under ObamaCare, but I don't believe our President or the Supreme Court Justices have to be in ObamaCare.

Mrs. BACHMANN. Sixteen thousand employees of one company.

Mrs. BACHMANN. She also fails to understand that the Federal Government again is practicing censorship and that the Federal Government is the one forcing its vision of morality and religious belief on every American. Again, that is government-enforced coercive speech and morality and religious expression. That is also contained in that remarkable premise of the Supreme Court Justice.

Mrs. BACHMANN. I was here in the Chamber with the gentleman. I saw and observed exactly what you said, that our colleagues across the aisle stood up and applauded. That is a constitutional crisis. As we are having this discussion today, we are in the midst of a constitutional crisis with a President who is aggregating to himself powers that are not constitutionally his. He is rendering also, taking away and denying constitutional liberties to the American people in terms of freedom of speech, expression, and religious liberty. It is interesting, too, with all due respect to our colleagues across the aisle, they are applauding becoming dinosaurs when the President of the United States decides that he will also be Congress and he will also write the laws. Thank you very much. I don't need your help. I am going to do what I want to do. Why in the world would any Member of this body who has an election certificate applaud that now they get to become a dinosaur? Now they are no longer relevant. We might as well dispense with the cost of elections altogether and go home and revert to what King George III wanted in the first place, which is a total and complete and absolute government with one person calling all the shots. That isn't our form of government.

Mrs. BACHMANN. What she was saying is: Don't provide health insurance for your employees. Just push your employees out in the cold. They can sit on the curb. They won't have employer-sponsored insurance--which, by the way, has zero tax consequence to the employee. They have no tax consequences. Under ObamaCare, every American is forced to buy a product whether they want it or not, even if they can't necessarily afford it. So then people now under ObamaCare have to go buy a product that the government dictates to them they have to buy at a price that the government dictates that they have to pay. So either they get health insurance with no tax consequence or they have to buy their health insurance with after-tax income, money that they have already paid taxes on. Now they are going to get double-hurt under ObamaCare. So, what the President wins, the American people lose. That is our choice. The President wins; the American people lose--financially, freedom, most importantly in this case, religious liberty, and that is not acceptable under our constitutional guarantee of liberty. I don't care who it is, because the Magna Carta taught King John at Runnymede that no man is above the law, especially the King, because that is who you have to worry about. It is no different in the United States of America. No man is to be above the law, including the President of the United States. He can't just change a law with the stroke of a pen or with a telephone call. He's not allowed to under our system of justice, but he also is not within his power to deny anyone their religious liberty rights.

Mrs. BACHMANN. Did she say the $2,000 or $36,500?