Paul Broun

Mr. BROUN of Georgia

Mr. BROUN of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today for a special purpose, calling us all to remember and honor the life of First Lieutenant Joseph Dennis Helton, Jr. On September 8, 2009, Lieutenant Helton was tragically killed in action while serving our country in Iraq. Like many of our nation's heroes, Lieutenant Helton was an exceptional young man with a calling to be a part of something greater than himself. His desire to serve led him to the United States Air Force Academy where he graduated fifth in his class and was the recipient of numerous awards and distinctions. Upon graduation, Lieutenant Helton was assigned to the 732nd Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron at McDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida. As exceptional young soldiers often do, he immediately volunteered for overseas duty, leading him to Iraq. Lieutenant Helton was awarded the Bronze Star Medal with Valor for his fortitude, bravery, and courage and the Purple Heart for his ultimate sacrifice. As we remember and honor Lieutenant Helton and his sacrifice for our freedom, let us not forget his parents, Joseph and Jennifer, his sisters, Jeanne, Jessica, and Jordanne, and many other loving family members and friends. Mr. Speaker, may we as grateful citizens, and Members of this body, never forget the passing of this courageous young man and encourage all Americans to honor his sacrifice which was made in defense of liberty and of this great nation. I proudly pay tribute to his memory and hold his service in the highest esteem.

Mr. BROUN of Georgia

Mr. BROUN of Georgia. Last Congress, I supported more than $155 billion worth of real spending cuts. If Democrats are interested in finding a more targeted approach to avoiding the sequester, I'm more than happy to offer my suggestions. We only have to cut 2\1/2\ cents out of every dollar that we spend in 2013 to dodge the effects of the sequester. If we can't shrink spending by 2 percent without causing a meltdown, what does that say about the size of Washington? Frankly, I don't think this administration wants to cut spending at all. The President is only interested in raising taxes, but this year, he has already levied $150 billion worth of new taxes on the American people. I wholeheartedly support making meaningful cuts, but there is a better way to go about doing it than with the sequester. Congress needs to sit down and go through the budget line by line, and it needs to figure out what wasteful programs we can get rid of in the middle of this debt crisis. I hope that Democrats will work with Republicans to find a smarter way to cut spending while we also protect American jobs and our national security.

Mr. BROUN of Georgia

Mr. BROUN of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Ms. Toni Childress, a compassionate advocate for children and families in northeast Georgia. For seven years, Ms. Childress has served as executive director for Family Connection and Communities In Schools of Stephens County, Incorporated. The mission of the organization is simple--to surround students with a community of support, empowering them to stay in school and achieve in life. Under her leadership, Family Connection and Community In Schools, FCCIS, has encouraged children to accomplish more than they ever thought possible through effective literacy and tutoring programs, as well as a powerful mentoring program. Of the latter, one student shared, ``My mentor has helped me to follow my dreams and keep my goals high.'' This sincere expression of one student is reason enough to honor Ms. Childress. However, she is one who goes above and beyond the required assignment. Where Ms. Childress sees a need, she will rise to the occasion to find a solution. When a social worker approached her about the lack of warm winter clothing for several students, Ms. Childress organized a successful coat drive. Now, in its fourth year, FCCIS distributes more than seven hundred coats to children and adults throughout Stephens County. Similarly, when Ms. Childress learned that there is an alarming rate of child abuse and neglect in her community, she quickly organized monthly workshops with the acknowledgment that change begins with awareness. For this reason, it is my honor to acknowledge Ms. Toni Childress for the significant contributions she has made to her community. Whether it is providing gift certificates for student vision exams or welcome bags for newborn babies, Ms. Childress is passionate about making a difference. On behalf of the United States Congress, I applaud her great work and wish continued success for Family Connection and Communities In Schools of Stephens County, Incorporated.

Mr. BROUN of Georgia

Mr. BROUN of Georgia. Madam Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. BROUN of Georgia. Madam Chairman, my amendment would strike $13 million in nonemergency funding for the National Weather Service's ground readiness project. This funding, found in the Frelinghuysen amendment, is for work that is already underway as part of a yet unfinished state-of-the-art weather satellite system. It is my understanding that this particular amount is meant to speed up the preparations needed to get ready for data that will come from these new weather satellites, which are set to be launched 2 to 5 years from now. Madam Chairman, our hearts go out to the victims that are suffering from the devastation from Hurricane Sandy. However, in the wake of large storms like this, government's knee-jerk reaction is often to throw money at forecasting or storm modeling in order to prevent widespread damage in the future. Unfortunately, even with the best imaginable forecasting systems, we would not have been able to prevent the structural damages which resulted from this particular storm. Yet here we are debating funding for a project due to go online years from now in an emergency supplemental bill, which is meant to provide aid to those who are still suffering in the wake of Sandy. For fiscal year 2013, the National Weather Service received a total of $991 million. That's $20 million over their initial request. NOAA is expected to ask for additional funding for this particular project over the next 2 years--nearly $15 million in fiscal year 2014 and $18 million in fiscal year 2015, the year the first new satellite is due to launch. It appears that the funding included in the Frelinghuysen amendment is simply meant to get the ground portion of this project finished just a little bit faster. Madam Chairman, I don't wish to argue the merits of this project, and I agree that if we have the ability to improve our forecasting infrastructure, we ought to do it, but this is not the time nor the place. The time for this project--and other projects like it which are funded in the Frelinghuysen amendment--is during the normal appropriations process. While I offered seven other amendments to the Rules Committee which would have removed similar nonemergent spending totaling over $300 million, unfortunately, only this amendment made it to the House floor. I'm disappointed that none of my other amendments to cut excessive spending were allowed. I was hopeful that the start of a new Congress would usher in a new dedication to cutting wasteful, duplicative, unnecessary spending. Unfortunately, it looks like it is business as usual. That said, I'm hopeful this amendment will pass so this particular appropriation may be considered under regular order, as it should. I urge my colleagues to support this amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BROUN of Georgia. Madam Chairman, he just made my point. We all want good satellite weather forecasting. The satellites have already been funded and underway. This project is already underway. It's nonemergent spending. We should not have nonemergent spending in an emergent appropriations bill, particularly when we don't have any setoffs for this. There is no reason whatsoever, absolutely zero reason that this could not be considered in the normal appropriations process, as my good friend just stated. My point has been that these types of projects should be considered under regular order. They should be considered the way that all funding, except for emergency funding, should be considered, and that's through the Appropriations Committee, the regular order, the way we're supposed to be doing things in this House. This is not one of those. My amendment, if it is passed, is not going to shut down this new weather system. It's not going to ground the satellites. It's not going to ground the ground project. All it's going to do is just say we're not going to put this nonemergent spending in an emergency appropriations bill, and we will take it under regular order as we should. That's my big point. I appreciate my friend saying that we could take it under regular order, as we should be doing. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BROUN of Georgia. Madam Chair, this is not going to delay data. It's not going to delay the implementation of this new satellite system. The current satellite that was just launched last fall has all the data-receiving capability that it can send out. So all this is doing is just saying let's wait until the regular appropriations process. I urge passage of my amendment.

Mr. BROUN of Georgia. Madam Chair, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. BROUN of Georgia

Mr. BROUN of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, we've reached the fiscal cliff not because we tax too little, but because we spend too much. We are focusing on whom to raise taxes and by how much. This debate really should be about outrageous spending. Many people believe that what's happening in Greece cannot happen in the United States. But think about it, Greece kept borrowing and spending until eventually they couldn't pay their public workers, take care of the elderly and the poor, or deliver any of the services they promised to its people. The United States is headed down the very same path. We'll be right back here having this same debate very soon if we don't cut spending. Instead of discussing taxing the top 2 percent, the next time it will be the top 50 percent, and so on, until we are all being taxed--everyone--but spending so much that we still cannot meet our obligations. This debate should be about spending, not taxes, so that we can give the American people what they want--a strong economy and a guarantee that programs like Social Security and Medicare will remain intact.

Mr. BROUN of Georgia

Mr. BROUN of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor and congratulate Major General Peter J. Boylan who is celebrating his twentieth year as President of Georgia Military College (GMC), and is the longest serving President of the college since its founding in 1879. General Boylan has worked wonders for GMC as he is responsible for restoring the reputation and financial stability of the school, which is now ranked one of the best community colleges in the nation. Through his unwavering determination, he planned and secured funding to rebuild and renovate every structure on the GMC-Milledgeville campus, made possible the addition of previously non-existent athletic fields and facilities, and renovated, relocated, or established-as-new every GMC distant learning and extension center in the state. Not only is General Boylan a tireless leader and a staunch champion of the academics, he is also a distinguished military retiree himself. He served for more than thirty years in the United States Army which included two tours in the Republic of South Vietnam, and he also participated in the invasion of Grenada with the 82nd Airborne Division. General Boylan's devotion to his country led him to later work with the Joint Chiefs of Staff at the Pentagon and eventually as Deputy Inspector General of the Army. His list of achievements is monumental, which is a testament to how blessed the student body, staff, and faculty of GMC are to have him as President. Some of his most notable awards include the Distinguished Service Medal, the Silver Star, the Bronze Star, and the Purple Heart amongst many others. General Boylan's academic accomplishments are equally as impressive. He has a Masters degree in engineering from the University of Michigan as well as a Doctor of Laws from Flagler College. For much of his tenure at GMC, General Boylan has stressed that character building is an integral part of a good education. Having also served, I understand the importance of teaching our youth these traits, and couldn't be more supportive of General Boylan in his efforts. Moreover, General Boylan still finds the time to be an active community servant and a faithful family man. He has been honored with the Floyd Harrington Community Leadership Award, he served on the Committee for the Selection of White House Fellows (New York Region) and was appointed by the Governor of Georgia to the Board of Directors for the Department of Juvenile Justice. Most importantly, he and his wife, Kathleen, have five children and thirteen grandchildren. I know that GMC, the entire state of Georgia, and this nation are forever grateful to General Boylan for his unwavering love for his country, his dutiful service within the military, and his constant willingness to give back to our nation's youth. I am honored to stand here today and congratulate him on twenty years as President of Georgia Military College.

Mr. BROUN of Georgia

Mr. BROUN of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 579 had I been present, I would have voted ``no.''

Mr. BROUN of Georgia

Mr. BROUN of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a Southern Baptist minister in Georgia's Tenth Congressional District, Rev. William F. Harrell. After serving as Senior Pastor of Abilene Baptist Church for the past 31 years, Rev. Harrell, or Brother Bill, as he is lovingly referred to by his church congregation, is entering retirement. Under his leadership, Abilene Baptist has grown to nearly 2,900 members, and the ministry includes a region-wide television program, entitled ``Strength for Today.'' Its building stands as a stunning landmark, and the reputation of its members is a powerful testimony to the greatness of God. The church's success and strength is due, in large part, to Rev. Harrell's faithfulness and care in serving the community of the Central Savannah River Area and first and foremost, our Lord Jesus Christ. He has served a total of 39 years in ministry, holding a number of positions in the Augusta Baptist Association, Georgia Baptist Convention, and the Southern Baptist Convention. For this reason, and on the occasion of his retirement, it is my honor to acknowledge Rev. Bill Harrell, for his outstanding career and significant contributions to Christian ministry. Furthermore, I extend my sincere appreciation to a servant leader in whom I value his friendship and hold in the highest regard. Rev. Harrell is a man who is certain of his calling, consistent in his ministry, and committed to doing the work of the Lord. Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the United States Congress, I applaud the great work of Rev. William Harrell and congratulate him on the occasion of his retirement.

Mr. BROUN of Georgia

Mr. BROUN of Georgia. Thank you, Dr. DesJarlais. I appreciate your yielding. In fact, Medicaid is going to destroy the Federal budget and create a total economic collapse of America if we don't change it from the present system. That's before ObamaCare even takes place and markedly expands the States having to cover many more people, as my good friend from Maryland, Dr. Harris, was just explaining. But there are alternatives. Hopefully, we can repeal ObamaCare and replace it with something that makes sense. But there is a solution today. And, in fact, the Republican Study Committee, several us in the Republican Study Committee--Jim Jordan, our chairman, Todd Rokita, Tim Huelskamp, and I--introduced the State Health Flexibility Act, which would freeze Medicaid spending at the current level and will block grant those funds to the States with no strings attached. Not only for Medicaid, but also for the State Child Health Insurance Program. And what the States would do is utilize those funds in any manner that they want to. If they want to do drug testing on Medicaid or SCHIP recipients, they can. They can organize the program any way they want to, which is going to be the solution because it freezes spending at current levels.

Mr. BROUN of Georgia. Absolutely.

Mr. BROUN of Georgia. Absolutely. In fact, the State Health Flexibility Act does that same thing, and the only growth is due to population in any State, so it does account for that change in the population of any given State. But we have solutions. We have economically viable solutions that Republicans are submitting and, hopefully, we can get passed into law. But of course we've got to have a Senate that will even take up those kinds of bills, because the House has passed bill after bill after bill to create a stronger economy, to create jobs here in America, to lower the cost of gasoline, to develop all our energy resources. We've got these bills that will solve the problems for Medicaid. Even my Patient Option Act is across-the-board health care reform. It repeals ObamaCare and replaces it with policy that makes health care cheaper for everyone, provides coverage for all Americans, and will save Medicare from going broke. And you add that, with the State Health Flexibility Act, it covers everybody. We have solutions, but Harry Reid is an obstructionist. He's acting as a puppet for this President, and they throw in the trash can every bill we send over there. We've got to create jobs. We've got to create a stronger economy. We have solutions to the health care problem. All of us are physicians. All of us are physicians out here that are talking tonight. We've just been joined by one nonphysician, but she's been a strong supporter of the Doctors Caucus, and we've seen her here many times, Mrs. Lummis from Wyoming. But we have solutions. The American people need to understand, Republicans have solutions, and we need to have the ability to pass those solutions into law so that we can have policy that's not going to break the bank. We're going into an economic collapse of America if we don't stop this inanity.

Mr. BROUN of Georgia. Before you go to Mrs. Lummis, I'd like to reclaim my time and just say this: Our State of Georgia is struggling. We have a balanced budget amendment to our State constitution. We're having a difficult time dealing with the extra cost, not only of Medicaid, but all these government mandates that are foisted upon our State from the Federal Government. It has to stop. And the only way we're going to stop it is for we, the people, across this country to demand a different kind of governance from their Senators and Congressmen, and particularly from the President of the United States.

Mr. BROUN of Georgia

Mr. BROUN of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a dear friend, a selfless humanitarian, a loving son, brother, husband, and father--Mr. James Roman Cutshaw, better known as Roman. In addition to his unwavering dedication to his family, Roman is also a lifelong Marine who served in World War II as an artilleryman. Roman's father taught him about how precious freedom and liberty are, as he served during World War I. He encouraged each of his sons to enlist as well. Not only did Roman make his father extremely proud, he also took away intangible life lessons about camaraderie, duty, and honor that are still with him today. After the war Mr. Cutshaw continued his education and received a Bachelor of Science in Accounting. He later moved his family from Greeneville, Tennessee, to Athens, Georgia, where he became a successful businessman, father to four boys, and pillar of the community. After his retirement, Mr. Cutshaw has continued an active and engaging lifestyle all the while maintaining a constant drive to better himself in every way possible. At age 77 he returned to school to obtain a second degree in Heating and Air Engineering and at age 86 he received a third degree in Theology. Roman maintains a garden large enough to feed several families in his community and has done countless free repairs on refrigerators, freezers, and air conditioners in the hot Georgia summers for those not fortunate enough to afford these costly services. He is truly an example of what it means to put others' needs before your own and to always trust in the Lord. In 2011, Roman was diagnosed with cancer and is now in his hardest battle yet. Just last week, he turned 92 years old and days before was placed under the care of Hospice. Our thoughts and prayers are with him, but we know God has blessed and will continue to bless Roman. This is a man who has not been afraid to get his hands dirty or make sacrifices on behalf of his neighbors. He understands the value of a hard day's work, the loyalty it takes to make 50 years of marriage work, and above all, the importance of prayer. He has touched many lives, especially those of his children, and he continues to be an inspiration to all who know him. Please join me in honoring Roman and wishing him a very blessed 92nd birthday.

Mr. BROUN of Georgia

Mr. BROUN of Georgia. Mr. Chairman, my amendment would reduce the proposed funding for salaries and expenses for the Federal Maritime Commission by $900,000. This is not a cut. This is just to keep those salaries at what they are, to cap it at the 2012 levels. This is one of 13 offices that would receive increases for salaries or administrative expenses in the underlying bill. I urge the support of my amendment, which would just freeze these salaries. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. BROUN of Georgia. Mr. Chair, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. BROUN of Georgia. Madam Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. BROUN of Georgia. My amendment would reduce the proposed funding for salaries and expenses of the Office of Public and Indian Housing by $6.5 million. This is one of 13 offices which would receive increases for administrative expenses in the underlying bill. Madam Chairman, we're in an economic emergency as a Nation. We're broke. We absolutely must stop spending money that we don't have. We're borrowing 40 cents or more on every dollar that the Federal Government expends. Raising the funding for the Office of Public and Indian Housing by $6.5 million while we're broke makes no fiscal sense to me. This particular increase is among the highest for all the offices funded under this legislation. My amendment would simply freeze funding for this office for this next year. Passage of my amendment would bring this account back to this year's FY 2012 levels. I urge support of my amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. BROUN of Georgia. Madam Chair, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. BROUN of Georgia. Madam Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. BROUN of Georgia. My amendment would reduce the proposed funding for salaries and expenses for the Office of Community Planning and Development by $3.5 million. This amendment, like the ones I presented last night and the one I just presented, would freeze the funding for these offices. I've heard my good friend from Iowa and my good friends on the other side talk about how the underlying bill has cut expenses for this whole underlying bill, but here in the House of Representatives, we've reduced our expenses by over 11 percent. It seems to me that it just makes fiscal sense to freeze funding for these offices in the underlying bill and not raise them. We're in an economic emergency as a Nation. We are spending money that we simply do not have. We've got to stop the outrageous spending that's going on here in Washington, and I'm just asking a simple thing: let's freeze all of these offices at the current year's levels for 1 more year. Hopefully, next year we'll have policy put in place that will increase our economy and start creating jobs here in this Nation, but we're not doing that this year with this administration and the policies that we see in the other body on the other side of the Hill. So let's just freeze the expenses of this office, and I'm proposing to freeze the expenses of virtually all the offices in this bill--most of them, anyway--and my amendment would bring the spending level that's proposed back to the current spending level of 2012. When families and businesses get overextended, they don't continue to raise their spending levels, and we should not be raising this one either. My amendment would just freeze it at the current spending levels. I urge support of my amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. BROUN of Georgia

Mr. BROUN of Georgia. Madam Speaker, more than 2 years ago, the President signed into law one of the most egregious attacks upon our freedom that this Nation has ever seen. Two years later, almost 60 percent of the American people still want to see ObamaCare repealed before the price of their health care goes up even more than it already has. Believe me, if we let this law take effect as planned, costs will skyrocket, and millions of Americans will lose their insurance altogether. On top of restrictive mandates, higher taxes, Medicare cuts, and more government overreach, ObamaCare is flat out unconstitutional. We simply cannot force the American people to buy health insurance if they don't want it. I'm hopeful that tomorrow the Supreme Court will do its job and apply the Constitution as our Founding Fathers intended. I look forward to repealing ObamaCare and getting started on real health care reform, as soon as the court reaches a decision.