John Boccieri

Mr. BOCCIERI

Mr. BOCCIERI. Well, these are exciting numbers. We have got to get people back to work. And I concur with the gentleman from Virginia. Let me revisit for just a moment exactly what the Recovery Act and the stimulus bill included. Thirty-seven percent of the package was tax cuts. $288 billion was given to small businesses so that they could help grow and invest in our new economy. In my opinion, that is going to be our investment in energy. $288 billion was invested back so small businesses could start growing again and investing back. Largest tax cut in America's history, largest tax cut for working middle class families. In fact, 95 percent of middle class families in our country got some tax relief through their employer. $144 billion, or 18 percent of the Recovery Act, was allocated to State and local fiscal relief. More than 90 percent of the State aid is going to help folks who are finding themselves on Medicaid rolls. Fighting to make sure that we didn't have double-digit increases in tuition across State universities and so that our local school districts could keep teachers hired and we could keep custodians in the building. This is very important, Mr. Speaker, that we understand that we help bring our economy back from the brink of a great recession. As that contemporary commercial says today, How will we remember this time? How will we remember it? Will we remember it as the great recession or the recession that made us great? I think with these key investments into our people, into our workforce, and into our country, we are definitely making our country stronger. I want to take a moment to recognize a distinguished gentleman that I have a lot of respect for. Not only do we share a common heritage, but we share a common belief that we should invest in our people, in our country, and in our way of life. Congressman Pascrell from New Jersey is a man who I have a lot of respect for, and I would like to yield him some time so that he can talk about exactly what we're doing to help put America back to work. Congressman Pascrell, my friend, you have the floor.

Mr. BOCCIERI. The gentleman from New Jersey has some very good ideas, which we have got to look at very seriously, about putting our country back to work and about long-term investments. You know, I have often said that we have got to be the producers of wealth, not just the movers of wealth, and that we have got to build things here. In 1950, over half the jobs in our country were in manufacturing. Today, one out of 10 of our jobs is in manufacturing. We are actually building. Some of that has been because of the fact that we have gained in productivity and because we have gained in efficiency. Yet we have still outsourced too many of our jobs. In States like New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Illinois, we have seen some of those manufacturing jobs go overseas. Our great trade imbalance that we have, the trade deficit that we have every year, is very troubling to me. We have a trade imbalance with China--$280 billion every year. We have a trade imbalance with oil-producing countries because they send $330 billion of oil over to the United States. Those two account for some of the largest imbalances our country has ever known in terms of our trade policy. We know that 95 percent of the marketplace is outside the United States, and Ohio is leading the Nation. Some of our local municipalities have begun to start exporting some of their goods overseas, creating their own trade relationships. We need more help here from the American Government, from the Federal Government, so that States like Ohio, Virginia, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania can help make those needed investments into our local communities. We have to be the producers of wealth. We have to build things again in this country. It's not only a matter of our economic security. It's a matter of our national security. That's why it is so key and strategic that the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act invests in our people, in our country and in our future, and that we also lay the groundwork for future prosperity by investing in energy. Energy is a key component of our Nation's economy, but it is very troubling when we import 66 percent of our oil from overseas and 40 percent from the Middle East. We see that the largest user of energy in our country is our Nation's military. The Department of Defense is the largest user of energy in our country. So it is very key, not only to our economic interests but to our national security interests, that we move away from our dependence on foreign oil, that we invest and create jobs here that cannot be outsourced, and that we make sure that we put our people back to work. That's why it is so important that we make these needed investments. According to Andrew Stettner, I have to say--he is a deputy director of the National Employment Law Center--14.9 million jobless Americans have been out of work for an average of 30 weeks, which is the highest level since the government began keeping those records in the 1950s. It is the highest record. We have some on the other side who are suggesting that we shouldn't have extended unemployment benefits. I've even heard some who have had the audacity to say that we shouldn't be giving them government/ taxpayer money because they don't want to work. Are you kidding me? We have millions of people out of work in this country who are now just being called back to work. In fact, some of my friends on the other side voted against an extension of unemployment benefits which would have helped 11,600 Ohioans who have found themselves struggling just to put bread on their tables for their families. To me, we have got to invest in our people. If we can spend $1 trillion on war, we can spend money to invest in our people, in our country, and we can put Americans back to work. I want to yield some time before we close today, Mr. Speaker, to a good friend of mine from Virginia, a gentleman who has the passion and vigor to take on the challenges of our great country, Tom Perriello. Congressman Perriello, enlighten us for a few moments, sir.

Mr. BOCCIERI. I agree with the gentleman from Virginia. We have seen almost a flip from a 6 percent job loss, when we began the 111th Congress in January of 2009, to nearly a 6 percent job growth in our gross domestic product. Yet we know that this is not about the GDP. This is about the j-o-b-s. We have got to put people back to work. That's why we are focusing on doing that. There are some things that we have done for our small businesses, to help struggling small businesses stay open: There is the net operating loss carry-back. We have also extended tax credits for renewable energy production because, as my colleague and I know, the cheapest energy is the energy we never use. Small businesses can save a lot by writing that off. They can save by weathering their businesses and by weathering their homes. That's what is going to save money in the long term. We are also going to give bonus appreciation, which extends to businesses that are buying equipment, such as computers. It speeds up the appreciation through 2009. That is helping our small businesses write off those losses so that they can get folks back to work.

Mr. BOCCIERI. Well, Mr. Speaker, he is exactly right. The gentleman from Virginia is exactly right that we have got to invest in our people, in our country, in our way of life. As that contemporary commercial says on the airwaves, Is this going to be remembered as the great recession or the recession that makes us great? I believe that we can do this if we work together, if we invest in our people. Again, if we can spend $1 trillion on war, we can certainly spend money to make sure that we invest in our people and do the things that are going to set us on the track towards prosperity. We are starting to begin to see the glimmers of light. We are starting to see the glimmers of hope that people once again are going to be on to a path of prosperity. I want to thank the gentleman from Virginia, because he believes that our greatest days are still yet to come. We will be stronger, we will be more robust, and we will be smarter on how we handle these future downturns. This is the time that we cannot let go away from us. We have got to invest in our people, in our country, and that is why I am so proud of the gentleman from Virginia, who stands with me saying that we will again be the producers of wealth, not just the movers of wealth.

Mr. BOCCIERI

Mr. BOCCIERI. Mr. Speaker, today, I rise in recognition of the Ohio Air National Guard, recently dispatched to Haiti to participate in the relief efforts after the devastating earthquake there. The 179th Airlift Wing of the National Guard was among the first units to land in Haiti, ready to improve communication at the Port-au- Prince airport and to dispatch search and rescue crews, knowing full well of the conditions awaiting them. As a former member and pilot of the 179th Airlift Wing, I flew on various missions with them around the globe, and I know of their dedication. The conditions in Haiti are, indeed, horrific, and I pray for those who have perished and for the loved ones they have left behind. I am proud that my home State of Ohio symbolizes what so many in the U.S. Armed Forces already know: No matter where devastation occurs, there are courageous and selfless young men and women across our Nation who are willing to respond to the call of duty. To the members of the 179th Airlift Wing of the Ohio Air National Guard, each of you are heroes today, and I commend you for rising to the call of duty in this desperate time of need. Thank you for your service to our country.

Mr. BOCCIERI

Mr. BOCCIERI. Mr. Speaker, today I rise in recognition of a fine businessman from Stark County, Ohio. His name is Rodney Napier. His service to the relief effort and helping those in Haiti who need long- term medical care as a result of the earthquake is a show of selfless and truly inspirational giving to the world. Mr. Napier helped found the Granted Wish Foundation, a national non- profit whose mission is ``to provide wishful fulfillment to disabled, disadvantaged and deserving individuals and families.'' When the earthquake shocked Haiti and the world, Mr. Napier made his corporate jet available so that supplies, doctors, missionaries, and other relief workers could get to the island for help. Humbled by what he saw while volunteering himself, he realized he had to do more. He donated nearly $70,000 to the relief effort. He also auctioned off three Super Bowl tickets, totaling $12,000, and the Granted Wish Foundation collected more than $63,000 for Haitians in need. Using these donations, two medical treatment vehicles went to Haiti so that physicians could rehabilitate permanently disabled children. Mr. Napier proves that simple acts of charity can make the difference and save lives. He lives by the biblical lesson that ``to whom much is given, much is expected.'' Whether in our local community or in Haiti, we need leaders like him.

Mr. BOCCIERI

Mr. BOCCIERI. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of the Military Aviation Preservation Society Air Museum, located in my congressional district at the Akron-Canton Airport. I recently visited this nonprofit museum devoted to preserving our Nation's rich aviation history and the great volunteers who make that museum a reality. When the Wright Brothers first built their airplane in Ohio, it was an example of American innovation. When U.S. Airborne divisions cleared the way for the Normandy invasion, it was an example of American leadership. When the Air National Guard recently dispatched to Haiti to help the relief effort, it was an example of American charity. The MAPS Air Museum captures the unique connection between aviation history and our American culture. Our spirit to persevere and succeed parallels our innovative spirit and desire to be leaders in the world and in aviation. I commend the MAPS Air Museum for its continued inspiration and its dedication to aviation history and the American spirit. Thank you to the soldiers, sailors and airmen who volunteer there every day to keep our history alive.

Mr. BOCCIERI

Mr. BOCCIERI. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Speaker, the American people have asked for common sense in their government, but all too often it is just not that common. You see, our friends on the other side have asked for simplicity, for substance, and for competition in the health care debate, but only in Washington will we argue that competition doesn't reduce costs. Only in Washington will we argue that we haven't had time to read a two-page bill. Only in Washington will we argue process over results for consumers. What does it mean for consumers in Ohio? Well, let me tell you, small businesses in Ohio, their premiums have risen about 129 percent. There are 7.4 million people in Ohio who get their insurance on the job, averaging about $13,000. Small businesses make up 72 percent of all business in Ohio, while only 47 percent of them can afford to offer health insurance for their people. We have seen 400 mergers in the health care industry over the last 14 years, so 95 percent. According to the Department of Justice, health insurance markets are highly concentrated. It means there is collusion. It is simple economics. We increase competition. We lower prices. On this matter, we have to know who we will stand with at this hour. Are we going to stand for families or are we going to stand for monopolies? Are we going to stand for competition or are we going to stand for price-fixing and collusion? Are we going to be Congress men and women who stand for consumers and for open markets or are we going to be Congress men and women who stand for collusion and corruption in the industry? There are not all bad actors out there, but on this day, at this hour, we need to stand with consumers.

Mr. BOCCIERI

Mr. BOCCIERI. Mr. Speaker, when President Barack Obama came to town, he brought hope and promise: hope that our best days were still ahead of us and that we would work together; promise that if we invested in our country and in our people, we could overcome any challenge in our country. However, my friends on the other side have come with hope and promise as well. They hoped that the President would fail and they promised to vote against every piece of legislation that he offered and that we offered in this House. My friends, when President Clinton left office, there was a $5.6 trillion projected surplus. What we have been left with is a $13 trillion debt. Our economy was in free-fall: two undeclared, unfunded wars; a banking system in chaos and greed on Wall Street. Now, if you don't stand with the stimulus that's going to invest in our country, in our people, and you voted against us, what did you stand for? Well, we don't know what they are standing for but we certainly know what they are against: a cost of living adjustment for seniors on Social Security, extensions of unemployment for out-of-place workers, extensions of COBRA insurance so that folks who lost their jobs can have insurance, and the largest tax cut in America's history. The world is changed not by critics but by leaders, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. BOCCIERI

Mr. BOCCIERI. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of the 3 million young Americans who courageously fight juvenile diabetes every day. Recently, I had the privilege of meeting three brave children from my northeastern Ohio district, Andrew Butter- worth, Meghan Jordan, and Gaetano Cecchini, who suffer from juvenile diabetes, but take their condition with great humility and strength. Each day 40 children are diagnosed with diabetes in the United States. The price to maintain treatment can cost thousands of dollars per year. While insulin is enough to keep that person alive, it doesn't prevent the potential side effects of kidney failure, blindness, amputations, and heart attacks. When Meghan came to my office, she gave me a notebook with pictures and descriptions of her enjoying her life to her fullest, in spite of her condition. And she writes, ``Having diabetes is physically and emotionally hard. I check my blood sugars at least five times a day and give myself 4 shots a day. My grandpa really helped me with diabetes, but he passed away, and I miss him very much. Promise to remember me and the children who have juvenile diabetes and help us find a cure.'' We owe it to them to fight hard to make sure that juvenile diabetes and other debilitating diseases that affect our children are looked at, fought, and make sure that we can end them in a timely fashion.

Mr. BOCCIERI

Mr. BOCCIERI. Madam Speaker, unfortunately, I missed the following recorded votes on the House floor on Tuesday, January 26, 2010. Rollcall No. 17 was a vote on H. Res. 990--Expressing support for designation of January 2010 as ``National Mentoring Month,'' Representative McCollum--Education and Labor. Had I been present I would have voted ``yes.'' Rollcall No. 18 was a vote on H. Res. 1011--Recognizing the importance of cervical health and of detecting cervical cancer during its earliest stages and supporting the goals and ideals of Cervical Health Awareness Month, Representative Halvorson--Energy and Commerce. Had I been present I would have voted ``yes.'' Rollcall No. 19 was a vote on H. Res. 1003--Expressing support for the designation of January 10, 2010, through January 16, 2010, as National Influenza Vaccination Week, Representative Chu--Energy and Commerce. Had I been present I would have voted ``yes.''

Mr. BOCCIERI

Mr. BOCCIERI. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 5, had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''

Mr. BOCCIERI

Mr. BOCCIERI. Madam Speaker, today I rise in recognition of the 100th anniversary of the National Urban League, an organization dedicated to bettering the lives and protecting the rights of minority groups across our country. The National Urban League is the oldest and largest community-based organization in our Nation. Locally, the Greater Stark County Urban League, located in my northeastern Ohio district, formed out of the integration of the Massillon and Canton affiliates, has been serving our Stark County communities for over 90 years. Under the direction of interim president and CEO Vince Watts, the work of the Greater Stark County Urban League is bettering Stark County at precisely the time we need it. Ohio's unemployment is still high, and we are recovering slowly, but now more than ever, as we are rebuilding our local economy for future success, the Greater Stark County Urban League is connecting minority groups in our communities to the employment and housing services and to the health and youth programming necessary. Last year, the local Urban League began a new scholarship program for 20 high school juniors and seniors. This year, they hope to provide 30 scholarships. The League is also offering classes this year to help 60 people in Stark County obtain their GEDs. I commend the Stark County Greater Urban League for making critical investments in our people, in our country, and in our future. This is the type of service that we all talk about here and should applaud every day on the floor of the House of Representatives.

Mr. BOCCIERI

Mr. BOCCIERI. Madam Speaker, we will be judged by two measures in the United States Congress: action or inaction. I stand here before you today to tell you that we will recover from this economic recession. That is why bipartisan efforts by myself and Congressman Chris Lee have worked across the aisle to make research and development tax credits to companies permanent so that they can manufacture and produce and research their products right here in the United States. Our legislation creates American jobs and helps companies innovate by giving them an incentive to research and develop right here in the United States. This tax credit is an investment in our Nation's manufacturers. By making research and development tax credits permanent, our bill takes critical steps to make the U.S. more competitive because our credit will be comparable to those offered by other countries. We will recover, and we will be judged by action or inaction. We will recover from this recession by investments into our manufacturing base in this great country.

Mr. BOCCIERI

Mr. BOCCIERI. Mr. Chairman, in this season of yule tidings, gift gifting, and silver and gold, just what are my colleagues on the Republican side attempting to give Americans with their opposition to this bill? My colleagues who oppose this bill would rather give gold to the big executive corporate execs at Goldman Sachs rather than put a little silver and gold under the Christmas tree of ordinary Americans. Bah humbug. My friends on the other side of the aisle would rather stand with corporate executives and their thousand dollar suits than stand with those who are in the unemployment line. Bah humbug. They'd rather bail out the big banks on Wall Street than help Americans try to keep their homes on Main Street. Bah humbug. My colleagues who oppose this bill would rather give bonuses to big corporate executives than protect the pensions of millions of middle class Americans. Bah humbug. They'd rather stand with hedge fund managers, predatory lenders who are betting on the price of oil going up, betting on the price of food going up, and betting on Americans failing to pay their mortgages rather than helping those families who are now standing in the line at food banks this holiday season. Bah humbug. This bill will end taxpayer bailouts so that Americans are never again on the hook for Wall Street's risky behavior and bad bets. It protects families and retirement funds and college savings and small businesses' financial futures from the unnecessary risks by Wall Street lenders and speculators and high-paid execs. It brings transparency and accountability to a financial system that has run amok. This bill is about instituting commonsense reforms, holding Wall Street and big banks accountable. Now, Republican leaders would rather vote to rescue big banks on Wall Street than find it in their hearts to help struggling Americans on Main Street. Don't be a Scrooge this Christmas and vote against this bill. Help our people, or surely you're going to be visited by the ghosts of Christmas past.

Mr. BOCCIERI

Mr. BOCCIERI. Mr. Speaker, today I rise in recognition of the Stark County District Library, located in Canton, Ohio. On October 6, 2009, the Institute of Museum and Library Science selected the Stark County District Library to receive the National Medal for Museum and Library Service. This is the Nation's highest recognition for library excellence and service to the surrounding community. The Stark County District Library has served our county for 125 years, and the staff there set a fine example of leadership throughout that time by responding to the changing needs of our community. I know firsthand the friendly faces that fill the library and the great lengths to which the staff goes to provide resources for our community. Despite budget cuts and other economic hardships, the Stark County District Library maintains the highest quality of service, making sure our communities have access to materials they want and need. Through early literacy efforts for mothers and their children and theater programs for Stark County kids and employment assistance classes and job fairs, the district library is able to fulfill its mission of inspiring ideas, enriching lives, and creating a stronger community. This national medal confirms the Stark County District Library's commitment to our community.

Mr. BOCCIERI

Mr. BOCCIERI. Madam Speaker, Godspeed to Michael Foreman. It seems like a short time ago we were offering Godspeed to John Glenn. Mr. Foreman is among six members of the space shuttle Atlantis STS-129 flight team which earlier today blasted off at 2:28, took off from NASA's Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral to begin an 11-day mission making repairs to the international space station. The crew includes: Mission Specialist Michael Foreman, Commander Charles Hobaugh, Pilot Barry Wilmore and other Mission Specialists Randy Bresnik, Leland Melvin, and Robert Satcher, Jr. As a mission specialist aboard this flight, Michael Foreman, from Wadsworth, Ohio, in my district, will participate in two of the mission's three space walks where he will install exterior equipment on the International space station. However, Mr. Foreman is no stranger to space travel. He has logged more than 380 hours in space and completed three previous space walks in other NASA missions. For his commitment to America's leadership and space exploration, Michael Foreman is a hometown hero, and he brings great pride to the city of Wadsworth and the 16th District. Please join me in wishing him and all members of the Atlantis STS-129 crew the best of luck on this important mission and a safe return on November 27.

Mr. BOCCIERI

Mr. BOCCIERI. Well, I thank the gentleman from Cincinnati. And I thank him for his previous work in the State legislature together as we tackled the very insidious predatory lending practices that were plaguing our part of Ohio. I think that we have got to break this down for the American people and explain to them that what is happening on Wall Street is affecting their pocketbooks today. When you walked into a bank or when you walked into a lending institution in Canton, Ohio, and when you asked them for a loan several years ago for a mortgage on a new house, they made it relatively easily, and oftentimes they would loan at 120-130 percent of the value of that asset, of that home, oftentimes hedging that risk or putting that risk in that note and then selling it to some investment bank on Wall Street. Now, when they sold that, when that small mom-and-pop lending institution sold that loan and sold that note, they then bundled these things together on Wall Street. Then we had folks who were betting on these mortgages lasting a long, long time, but there were also folks-- bad actors--who were betting that people were not going to be able to pay their mortgages. They were betting on Americans failing. I think that that is what we have got to tackle in this regulatory reform-- making sure that this does not happen again. You know, we look at it on the oil market and on the commodities market. We have folks who are betting on the price of oil going up and who are betting on people failing to pay their mortgages. Is there a bet that Wall Street won't make against the American people? I think enough is enough, and we have got to stand for reforms that are going to make sense. I agree, like my colleagues here, that the government should set the out-of-bounds markers. We should set the goalposts. We should allow the free market to operate in between but be a good referee. When someone goes out of bounds, throw the flag and say that they committed a penalty. Now, we can have this debate, a robust debate, about where we put these markers. Do they start here or do they start in a much wider fashion? Yet we have got to find some way to make certain that the regulatory reform is going to catch these bad actors and will not allow them to bet against the American people. I think we owe that to the people we represent.

Mr. BOCCIERI. Well, we know what they're against, but what exactly are they for? Are we going to fix our energy crisis that we have in the country? Are we going to fix the economic situation we find ourselves in? Are we going to stand up and fight for the American people or are we just going to push for the status quo and allow these things to happen? Let us be clear. There are some very good people who work on Wall Street. There are some very conscientious people who work in our financial markets, but there are also some folks who have been pushed and moved and who have accelerated their behavior by greed, by avarice. That is what we want to catch. This is what we want to prevent. Can you imagine this? You know, as for folks who traditionally want to hedge on the price of a barrel of oil or on the price of gasoline, we want to allow them to do that--the folks at aviation and trucking companies in Ohio who want to hedge and lock in a price of fuel today--but when we allow big corporations, national governments, multinational corporations, and big pension funds to bet on the price of oil going up, that no longer is reflective of a very conscientious market. Quite frankly, what we've found is that artificially we're driving up the price of a barrel of crude oil even though we have more supply than we did years ago. Demand is down. People aren't driving as much because of the economic situation, but we find ourselves at a point where gasoline prices are on the rise because of what is happening on Wall Street. People now are starting to bet that the recovery is coming soon, and they're betting that the price of oil is going to go up. We've got to stop this.

Mr. BOCCIERI. I further agree, if the gentleman will yield for just a moment, that we do have a responsibility to the American people and that we will be judged by action or inaction, quite frankly. In these troubling economic times in which so many Ohioans find themselves, as Teddy Roosevelt said, In a moment of decision, the worst thing that you could do is nothing. I think there is this call to action from the American people to this legislative body to make sure that we set the boundaries, that we set the out-of-bounds markers, that we set the goalposts, and that we make sure that the referees that we appoint are doing a good job. I have friends who have worked on Wall Street who have said, if we would have just enforced the regulations that we have, this would have been averted, that this catastrophe could have been averted. We have the housing sector and we have the commercial markets now showing signs of breaking, but we have got to have swift action, and we have got to make sure that there is a steady stream and that there is an equal playing field for the least among us--for those folks who are investing in Wall Street and in the markets. We have to make sure that their investments are protected, that their pensions are there for them when they retire, and we have to make sure that folks aren't gambling on their futures. In my humble opinion, that's what it's all about. You know, I follow Senator Webb quite a bit. He has quoted Teddy Roosevelt quite often in one of his most recent books. He has said frequently, as Teddy Roosevelt has said, that the welfare of each of us is dependent upon the welfare of all of us and that we have got to make certain that we are creating this level playing field for the least among us, like my grandparents who arrived here on the shores of America with nothing but the belief and the hope that, if they worked hard, if they persevered and if they gave back to their community, that America was a place where their dreams could be realized. That's what the American Dream is about. We have a responsibility to make sure that that playing field is level, is equal, so that it's not a slippery slope. It is so, when they begin their climb, their ascent, up the socioeconomic ladder, that America affords opportunity and prosperity. That's what this is about, and that's what the decisions that we are striving for are all about. So I appreciate the gentleman's remarks.

Mr. BOCCIERI

Mr. BOCCIERI. Madam Speaker, today, we are going to highlight this hour on energy and the needs of the United States in terms of enacting a robust energy policy that is going to create jobs here in America, move away from our dependence on foreign sources of oil, and make our country stronger in the long term. Now, I want to speak to you from a military perspective, having served nearly 15 years in the United States Air Force. I think that this issue has to be elevated from just a national debate to a matter of national security. And it's not just Congressman Boccieri from the 16th District of Ohio saying this. In fact, in 2003, the United States Department of Defense issued a study and suggested that the risk of abrupt climate change should be elevated beyond a scientific debate to a U.S. national security concern. The economic disruptions associated with global climate change are projected by the CIA and other intelligence experts to place increased pressure on weaker nations that may be unable to provide the basic needs and maintain order for their citizens. So, from my own perspective, having graduated with a degree in baseball and minoring in economics, I didn't get into the whole scientific debate on whether climate change was real or perceived, but when the military experts and our intelligence experts speak, I'm going to listen, and I have to tell you that America should be listening as well. I hope that over this next 60 minutes we will have a robust discussion about how this energy policy is going to move our country down the field so that we can end our dependence on foreign oil and we can make sure that our country becomes energy independent. After all, we did send a man to the Moon in 10 years, and I think and believe in my heart of hearts that we can become energy independent in the next 15 to 20 years. I believe in the innovation of America, and I believe that we can do this if we put our efforts on it. Now, with the national energy debate comes a sense of trying to correct the status quo. And I know those changes are difficult, but for those who are against a national robust energy policy for the United States, you hear them speak the rhetoric from those who delivered $4-a- gallon gasoline to the United States of America. We listened to the same talking points that delivered oil prices over $150 a barrel. We listened to the same talking points who don't want us to end our dependency on foreign oil. We import 66.4 percent of our oil from overseas; 66.4 percent of our oil comes from overseas. Nearly 40 percent comes from the Middle East. Forty percent comes from the Middle East. History reminds us that, in 1944, when the United States and our allies bombed the Ploiesti Romanian oil fields, we effectively cut off the German supply of oil; but they quickly transitioned to a synthetic fuel, which is a derivative of coal, and they fought on a lot longer. So the single largest user of energy in the United States is the Department of Defense. My friends, this is a matter of national security, and that's why an energy policy that moves away from our dependence on foreign oil is going to move us down the field to becoming energy independent. I believe that the amount of alternative energy our Nation is able to produce is only limited by the amount of energy we are willing to invest in it, and that is why the United States is moving down this track. We find that our intelligence experts, over serious matters of national security, have talked about this. In fact, General Anthony Zinni, a retired military staffer, has weighed in on this. We find that many of our military experts have weighed in on this as well as the CIA, which last month just set up a national policy and an agency in launching the center on climate change, with national security as a focal point for its work on this subject. So this is not just a matter of climate change but a matter of national security, and the impacting phenomena of such certification is just giving emphasis to the fact that we have got to address this as a matter of national security. So we are going to talk tonight about energy. We are going to talk tonight about health care. I am joined by some of my colleagues on the floor, and we are going to be able to pivot in between these two subjects tonight as members of the 30-somethings because there are two topics. There are two issues that confront us as a Nation that offer some serious challenges for our long-term competitiveness. They are health care and energy, health care in the fact that we spend more than any industrialized country on health care. Yet we find that our outcomes, our life expectancy, is on par with Cuba. With infant mortality and with chronic diseases like diabetes, heart conditions and asthma, we rank out somewhere around 38th in the world. So it's very clear that we are spending more than any industrialized country on health care. Yet our returns and outcomes, our return on investment, is not as good as it needs to be. So tonight we are going to talk about those two subjects as 30-somethings, energy and health care. I am happy to be joined by my colleague from just a State away, Jason Altmire from Pennsylvania. I would like to recognize him for this time.

Mr. BOCCIERI. Well, I couldn't agree with the gentleman from Pennsylvania more in that we will find the courage to find what is clean coal technology and what we can use clean coal technology for. Let me just say this: the United States Air Force right now is testing synthetic fuel in our airplanes, and it is using it for other applications broadly across the military because they know that we have more coal reserves in America than we have oil. For those who may be out there who believe that we should drill in America and should take every last drop of oil out of America, we are going to expand drilling at some point. It's in the Senate version of the bill right now; but we will always have less oil than the Middle East, and right now 40 percent of our demand is supplied by the Middle East. Many have said that we're funding both sides of this war on terror, that we're sending money over to the Middle East and that they, in turn, are sending money to rogue terrorist nations that are actually looking to harm America. So let's become energy independent. Let's use our resources. Let's use nuclear. Let's use clean coal. Let's use solar. Let's use the type of biofuels that are being researched right in our part of Ohio. Now I want to speak to you because, if we end our dependence on foreign oil from the Middle East, what will it take? many Americans ask. What will it take to end our dependence on foreign oil? There was a study issued that said if we put 27 percent of the vehicles on the road in the United States which are gas electric hybrids, like the Ford Escape or the Toyota Prius, we could end our dependency on foreign oil from the Middle East. Isn't that an achievable goal? Eighty percent of the worlds oil reserves are in the hands of governments and of their respective national oil companies. Sixteen of the twenty largest oil companies are state-owned-- nations that want to seek harm to the United States. In fact, we hear from our military leaders, from General Anthony Zinni, a retired marine and former head of the Central Command, who said that we will pay for this one way or another. We will pay to reduce greenhouse gas emissions today, and we will have to take an economic hit of some kind, or we will pay the price later in military terms, and that will involve human lives. It is very clear that this is a matter of national security.

Mr. BOCCIERI. I will.

Mr. BOCCIERI. Mr. Murphy, you are exactly right. This is not a debate that is new just to this year or to this Congress. In fact, every Presidential candidate running for the highest office in this country last year stated that it is a matter of national security. So I remind some of our friends on the other side who need to be reminded of the fact that some of their leaders who were running for this office suggested that we need a national energy policy that moves away from our dependence on foreign oil, that creates jobs in America and that makes America stronger, not weaker. One of those was Rudolph Giuliani. To the gentleman from Pennsylvania's remarks about clean coal, he said we need to expand the use of hybrid vehicles, clean coal/carbon sequestration. We have more coal reserves in the United States than we have oil reserves in Saudi Arabia. This should be a major national project. This is a matter of national security. Every Presidential candidate has suggested that. We'll revisit some of their remarks in a few moments, but I want to go back to what some of our national intelligence experts are saying here. Peter Ogden, chief of staff to the State Department's top climate negotiator, said the sense that climate change poses security and geographical challenges is central to the thinking of the State Department and the climate office. They're citing studies that were done under the Department of Defense which suggested that our National Intelligence experts are suggesting that this will be a breeding ground for terrorists if we do not look at this very seriously. We are finding that areas which are wiped out by tsunamis and which have these cataclysmic events happening in their regions become breeding grounds for terrorists. They can't fund the national or the basic interests of their communities, of their countries. As a result, the CIA has said that the economic disruptions associated with global climate change are projected to place increased pressure on weak nations which may be unable to provide basic needs or to maintain order for their citizens. That is critical, my friends. I didn't get into the whole scientific debate of climate change, but I'm paying attention when our military experts and when our Nation's intelligence experts are suggesting that we have to elevate this to a matter of national security. I know Representative Tonko, from New York, has a few words, and he joins us in our 30-something hour.

Mr. BOCCIERI. I couldn't agree with the gentleman from New York more, that this is not only about creating jobs, it's a matter of our national security and moving away from our dependence on foreign oil. In fact, in September, the Central Intelligence Agency, the CIA, is launching the Center on Climate Change and National Security as the focal point for its work on the subject. The Center is a small unit led by senior specialists from the Directorate of Intelligence and the Directorate of Science and Technology. And further, the National Intelligence Council reports that the demands of potential humanitarian responses may significantly tax U.S. military transportation and support force structures, resulting in a strained readiness posture and decreased strategic depth for our combat operations. This is a telling remark of where this issue needs to be highlighted. I'm a C-130 pilot. We provide humanitarian relief. We support our troops. We will be flying humanitarian relief all over the world if this issue is not addressed. And they are talking about our readiness as a country. The CIA and others are talking about our readiness as a country. And I think this is very, very important. We can use all the resources that we have at our disposal. Can you imagine one day, my colleagues, rolling into a fuel station and having a choice, between using traditional gasoline, biofuels, biodiesel, ethanol; maybe we plug in our electric hybrid or drive by the gas station or fuel station altogether because we have a fuel cell that allows us to get a hundred miles to the gallon. That is an achievable goal that we should strive towards, having choices, not just using traditional gasoline but having a variety of sources. And, in fact, we can end our dependence from Arab nations and OPEC-producing nations if we put 27 percent of the vehicles on the road that were gas-electric hybrids. That's an achievable goal, to end our dependence from the Persian Gulf. Would we bring our troops home? Would our national interests now be so closely aligned and attached to what happens in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait and Iraq and all those areas--Iran--that have all the oil, 40 percent of the oil that comes to this nation? We can use the resources at our disposal, and I think that we ought to think about doing that. This is about jobs. This is about national security. Let me just relate to you something that some of our leaders who are running for the highest office in this land have said. Mike Huckabee himself said this: A nation that can't feed itself, fuel itself or produce the weapons to fight for itself is a nation forever enslaved. It's critical for our own country and our own interest economically, and from a point on national security, we commit to becoming energy independent and we commit to doing it within a decade. We have to take responsibility for our own house before we can expect others to do the same in theirs. It goes back to his basic concept of leadership. Leaders don't ask others what they are unwilling to do themselves. That right there, my friends, is something that is very, very important. We have been joined by one of our friends from Virginia, Congressman Perriello, who has much passion about this topic.