Duke Cunningham

Mr. CUNNINGHAM

Mr. CUNNINGHAM. Mr. Speaker, that is the whole idea. When the gentleman claims that they gave a surplus, we took away their Social Security tax increase. We restored veterans' pay. We restored military pay. We put their gas tax into a highway trust fund so we could build more. We took away the middle-class tax and we had our budgets to balance the budget. We had 9/11 and it has gone up, but their policies did not create that surplus. We did away with that tax and it was our policies that increased it, not decreased it.

Mr. CUNNINGHAM

Mr. CUNNINGHAM. Mr. Speaker, this bill is, as my colleagues on the other side say, about now and the future, but I think we see it a little bit differently. It is an honest debate, and I would tell my friends that my colleagues on the other side, I believe, feel that if we give tax relief money to people, it just goes down a rat hole; that it does not work; that it is just gone; that it adds to the debt and the deficit. I do not believe that is true. When we give money to a family, maybe they go out to the store and they buy books or they buy a double egg, double cheese, double fry burger at McDonald's and they pay taxes on that. They pay local, they pay State and they pay Federal taxes, and that money comes back to our coffers for more money to spend. That is called tax relief. It is not all President Clinton's fault. We are in Congress, we spend money and we make the rules. But right after President Clinton left, we were in a slight recession. We gave tax relief and we had one of the fastest recoveries ever, and we had 9/11. My friend from New York knows the devastation that was in New York City. We spent billions of dollars to fix it. We lost a lot of revenue because a lot of people not only lost their lives but lost jobs there. Guess what, now that those jobs are coming back, that revenue is coming here. It means more money to spend. We are tying to give them, the same families, more money to spend to come here. The President and the Congress, bipartisan as the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer) said, we want to give tax relief. Those families got that tax money and, guess what, they spent it, and now look what we have today. We have a growing economy. Four and 4\1/2\ percent in personal incomes have gone up. We have added over 1.2 million jobs in the last 3 months and it is coming back. So the money is not going down a rat hole. It actually creates money and revenue for us so that we will have more money in the future. This is the difference.

Mr. CUNNINGHAM

Mr. CUNNINGHAM. Mr. Speaker, on the eve of the 136th observance of Memorial Day, the House of Representatives paused in a moment of silence to honor all of our fallen heroes. Men and women across the United States and from other countries continue to serve in the defense of our great nation and the ideals we hold most important. These brave heroes are prepared to make this same sacrifice should their duties require it, and that is a grave responsibility we must honor. This year I also want to recognize an unsung group of fallen military heroes, the countless members of our Armed Forces that served and died for our country but were never United States citizens. Many American military heroes, past and present, were born outside of the United States. From the thousands of non-citizens who fought for our independence as a nation, to those who fought for the Union Army during the Civil War, to the more than 36,000 non-citizen members of today's Armed Forces, these men and women have sacrificed for our country and the preservation of our precious freedom. We succeeded today in amending the Fiscal Year 2005 National Defense Authorization Act to authorize creation of a memorial to recognize these fallen heroes at Arlington National Cemetery, our nation's premier military cemetery and shrine honoring the men and women who served in the Armed Forces. As a combat veteran and member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, I am keenly aware and appreciative of the sacrifices our service members make. In the past, I received the good will and recognition of this nation for my service. This Memorial Day, I want to extend these sentiments to our service members, my fellow veterans, and our fallen heroes from the United States and allies nations around the world.

Mr. CUNNINGHAM

Mr. CUNNINGHAM. Mr. Chairman, the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Skelton) is a descendant of Daniel Boone. He is like a brother. The gentleman from Texas (Mr. Reyes), or Silver, as we call him, would rather work in a bipartisan manner than anything and is a very close friend. I heard this morning in our conference the words ``a soldier's chairman,'' and I cannot think of a better fitting for this bill and the chairman that presents it. The gentleman from California's (Mr. Hunter) dad, R.O. Hunter, was in the Marine Corps. The gentleman from California (Mr. Hunter) served in Vietnam. His son is in the Marine Corps and a lieutenant today. But I think even more important, the people in this Chamber who know the gentleman from California (Mr. Hunter), know he has given his life to this Nation, to our military, and our veterans. We go out to Walter Reed and we see these kids that have lost a foot or an arm, and do the Members know what they ask me? I talked to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Murtha), and they talk to him the same way; they say, Do not let them kick us out of the service, let us go back to our units. These kids that are wounded multiple times and they fight to stay with their units because they believe in it. And I think what a fitting bill that takes care of our families, that takes care of our troops, and is supported in such a bipartisan way. I think this Nation is proud, and I think this Nation supports not only this bill, but the actions of Members on both sides of the aisle.

Mr. CUNNINGHAM. Mr. Chairman, I come from a border area, San Diego, California; and we have thousands come across our border, not just from Mexico, from other places as well. I used to think this was a good amendment, until you start thinking about it. You just do not send a Marine or someone in the Army to the border. You have to provide bivouacs, food, transportation, hospitals, training; and by the time you look at the cost, we are much better off to put additional money into trained Border Patrol, in my opinion. There is a need for border security. That is real, and that is why my friends, I am sure out of frustration, are offering this amendment, and it is a good-intentioned amendment. But when you take a look at what it actually does, with our military so thin today and so drawn out, it would be disastrous, I think, for our men and women in the service itself. I have heard people say that people coming across the border illegally do not have rights. They do. And you need people that are trained in that manner to know what those rights are, to be able to say ``alto'' when necessary, and to understand the people that are coming across.

Mr. CUNNINGHAM

Mr. CUNNINGHAM. Mr. Speaker, Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld led this Nation through two wars. There was a minimum loss of life on both sides. He was effective and provided freedom for millions of men, women, and children. General Kimmitt in January reported that there were problems at a prison, ordered immediate investigations under the rule of law. Unfortunately, someone released pictures to the press and blew it out of proportion. There is a lot of anger from all Americans and many Arabs, but I think in the long run the world is going to see what a free nation is capable of. A rule of law, justice, is it perfect? No. But it is the best we have in any part of the world. We will bring the guilty forward in punishment, and there will be probably more than the original six that will be tried. When we come out of this, we will be stronger, and those calling for the resignation of the Secretary, I think, do this Nation great disservice.

Mr. CUNNINGHAM

Mr. CUNNINGHAM. Mr. Speaker, the American people quite often are seen from time to time from both civilian businesses and the military with some bad actors. We all condemn those. The problem that I have is that too many people focus on just the bad actors and forget about the people that serve us well both in civilian business and in the military. I have served in the military. What irks me is that people that condemn our military are generally the people that have not served themselves. They are generally the people that continually vote against defense, which most of goes to the families to support them coming back. They continually vote against intelligence. And then they have the gall to stand up here and chastise our military. Mr. Speaker, I think that is wrong. I am proud of the men and women that serve in our military. I think if those individuals would speak about their accomplishments more, maybe we would all be better off.

Mr. CUNNINGHAM

Mr. CUNNINGHAM. Mr. Speaker, all of us on both sides of the aisle come to the well and to discuss the different events on this resolution. First of all, I am very, very proud of the men and women that serve in our armed services, and I served with in Vietnam and all the conflicts up to that point, but time has witnessed a sine wave of activities. In business we had Enron. We have had a Member of this body sexually abuse a page. We have had a Nixon break-in and impeachment of a President. Harassment in our military academies and we look at the scandal in the Catholic church, but Mr. Speaker, there are good people in Enron, there are good Members of Congress. The harassment in our military academies, most of those men and women serve honorably, and the same thing in the Catholic church, but good people is not the question here. The question is what happened in our interrogation facility, and I sit and I questioned myself, what are the key reasons why everybody is so upset? What factors bother us? One thing, leadership at the point of infraction, and secondly, the timeliness. Let me give my colleagues a good example. I had an admiral that brought us, his commanding officers, together, and said if I have a single commanding officer that gets busted with a DUI or DWI, I am going to fire you, and not a single CO received a DUI or DWI. If they went to a party, they had a designated driver. Prior to that, many of the commanding officers got picked up for a DUI or DWI. I would bet, Mr. Speaker, that no one at that prison sat those kids down and said this is the expected conduct. I just witnessed from the services all kinds of paper, all kinds of rules, people that had been there to investigate, look at the different things that go on, but I want to tell my colleagues, not a single officer sat down with those sergeants, with those people and said if this is your conduct these are the consequences, like that admiral did with us and the DUI's. The breakdown was at the point of leadership at the prison. Secondly is the timeliness. I had a squadron and I had exceptions to the chain of command. My friend over here the gentleman from New York (Mr. Rangel) knows about the chain of command. He was in the service, but as commanding officer, a person could walk into my office, past my chief, past my division officer, past my executive officer for several things: any known sexual abuse, because I had women in the squadron; anything racial, even verbal, because it could destroy the unit; any known drugs within the unit; the thing that I have recommended to the military, anything, any conduct that would affect the unit, negatively, the Services or United States of America, and I think those two things were overlooked in this case, that it did not go up the chain of command fast enough. There was not enough action taken, and that there was a breakdown in leadership and cutting through the chain of command. The last thing I would recommend to our military is that when they have something so critical that is a blight on the United States of America, that we sit down and we take care of this, but let us not forget the people that serve us are the best of the best, and yes, there are Enrons, there are Catholic churches, there are others, but the majority of our people are very good people.

Mr. CUNNINGHAM

Mr. CUNNINGHAM. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 14th annual Sharp Healthcare Victories of Spirit event. This event is a celebration of all that is right in health care and the value of community ties. For over 40 years, the Sharp model of rehabilitation care provides innovative services that assist individuals impacted by catastrophic injury or illness in reaching their greatest potential--at home, at school, on the job and in recreational and sports activities. Their success is demonstrated through the achievements of those who are privileged to serve within Rehabilitation Service. Victories of Spirit showcases great work and partnerships that lead to even greater patient outcomes and achievement. This special evening is dedicated to honoring incredible people who have played a hand at turning tragedy into triumph. The Eagle Spirit Award represents the symbolism of the Eagle Spirit, a Navajo sign of the most potent healing power, one that elicits images of soaring, of conquering and of excelling. Victories of Spirit is a night that celebrates triumphs and those who make them possible. Year after year it demonstrates to our community just how powerful the human spirit is and inspires each one of us to be the best we can be. I would like to individually recognize each of the recipients of the Eagle Spirit Award: Josephina Everett is a mother and a teacher for deaf children in need. Josefina and her husband, Luke, live in Mexico and run a free Christian home and school for deaf children in Mexico. Josephina, who became deaf at the age of five, has dedicated her life to helping deaf children learn and appreciate their gifts. Following a burst aneurysm that almost took her life, Josephina learned to sign again using one hand and eventually learned to write and to walk. Josefina and her family have shown great strength against all odds. Their love and faith have brought them all back to the deaf children of Valle de Guadalupe. DeShjon Mitchell knows he's not defined by his paralysis, and that his dreams before his injury continue on. He's just altering how he plans to accomplish them. This athletic teen went back to school and graduated with his class. He then went on to San Diego State University and completed his degree in Economics just four years later. Through his work with Sharp On Survival he is rediscovering his confidence. He is still playing sports and enjoying music, and he's added public speaking to his talents, working as a Voice of Injury Prevention (VIP) for Sharp On Survival. Juan Solis was diagnosed at the age of 37 neurocysticercosis and hydrocephalus with which required multiple surgeries and shunting to drain the fluid on his brain. He spent months in the hospital followed by several years in a nursing home. With the help of the patients and staff of Sharp Cabrillo Skilled Nursing Unit, Juan is forever grateful he's got a second chance on life. He is finally home with his family and working two jobs after being away for five years. He hopes to return to coaching the neighborhood kids in ``futbol-soccer'' this year. Mathew Sparks was temporarily sidelined from his dream of service to his Country by a spinal cord injury at the age of 23. While Matt may not be able to fly with the Marines, he is now telling his story as a Voice of Injury Prevention (VIP) for Sharp On Survival. Through Matt's work in the program, he's able to serve by speaking at the Marine Corps and Navy safety stand-downs, helping to protect the men and women who protect our country. Christine O. Timmins is an educator who hasn't let a 1978 spinal injury change her. She is full of capability, dedicated to serving, and dedicated to her students. Christine's courage has benefited teens for more than 30 years now. Her colleagues will tell you, ``She can no longer leave footprints in the sand, but she leaves imprints on the hearts and minds of all whom she has taught and touched with her ability for so many years.'' The San Diego Brain Injury Foundation has been serving brain injury survivors and their loved ones since 1983. The foundation started as a grass roots effort by families of survivors who knew they needed help and that many others would too. Over the last 20 years, those initial seeds have blossomed into a regional not-for-profit organization that has raised over $700,000 to provide support, resource and information, networking opportunities and service referral to 11,000 people affected by brain injury each year in San Diego County. Their mission is to improve the quality of life for brain injury survivors and their families and promote public awareness and social advocacy. More than 500 guests including business, government and educational leaders, physicians and health care executives, rehabilitation providers, the media and honored community members from the San Diego area will join in the celebration. I would like to thank the Honorary chair of the event, Donnie Edwards of the San Diego Chargers. Donnie will be joined by Bree Walker, a producer/broadcaster, who has hosted the celebration for more than a decade. This inspiring evening will benefit Sharp On Survival, Sharp's Institute for Injury and Violence Prevention, the recognized model chapter of the Think First National Injury Prevention Foundation. All proceeds raised from this event benefit Sharp On Survival and help to bring vital prevention education to more youth throughout San Diego County. I ask my colleagues to join me today in recognizing the Victories of Spirit event, the recipients of the Victories of Spirit award, and all those who assisted in making this event a success.

Mr. CUNNINGHAM

Mr. CUNNINGHAM. Mr. Speaker, I rise today as our country celebrates Earth Day to introduce the Efficient Energy Through Certified Technologies and Electricity Reliability EFFECTER Act of 2004. I am joined in this effort by a substantial and diverse coalition of my colleagues including Mr. Markey of Massachusetts, my Chairman Mr. Lewis of California, Mr. Matsui of California, as well as Senator Snowe of Maine and Senator Feinstein of California. This bill is a more developed version of the EFFECT Act that Mr. Markey and I introduced in March 2003. With the President's Energy Plan currently stalled in the other body, we believe that this bill can deliver on one of the less controversial issues when it comes to energy policy--energy efficiency. I support the President's Energy Plan and voted in favor of H.R. 6 when it came before this body for final passage. Unfortunately, politics has prevented this fine legislation from implementing a desperately needed energy policy in this country. My constituents in San Diego suffered through the Energy Crisis during the summer of 2001. The aftershocks of the rolling blackouts and outrageously high energy prices are still being felt. Gas prices in California are currently the highest in the country at over $2.50 per gallon. The entire Eastern seaboard suffered through a major blackout last August, also suffering the consequences of needing the comprehensive energy policy of H.R. 6. We risk another major blackout and continually soaring fuel prices if we choose to wait for the politicking to end and H.R. 6 to be implemented. My constituents, the American people need solutions now. I am introducing this bill in an effort to pass a portion of our long-term energy plan that can produce results now. In our legislation introduced last year, Congressman Markey and I created legislation that would give builders and consumers a reason to construct housing and purchase equipment that not only saves the consumer money in the long run, but also helps save energy. We have taken this idea and have put it into this bill along with other cost- saving provisions. This legislation offers tax incentives to encourage the production and sale of technologically advanced, energy-efficient buildings and equipment. The incentives will reduce peak power demand, which can diffuse the risk of blackouts and high electricity prices. Peak power shortages cost California $15 billion in 2000 alone. These tax incentives are performance based, not cost based. One dollar of federal tax incentives for energy efficiency offered today will not be paid until January-April 2005, but manufacturers will respond to the incentives by investing in production facilities for more efficient products immediately. This will promote the creation of competitive markets for new technologies and designs that are not widely available today, but have the possibility of being cost effective to the consumer in the future. This bill will have the government lead by example by cutting our own energy bills by upgrading our building energy efficiency standards and purchase specifications, and reauthorizing Federal Energy Savings Performance Contracts, which allow private companies to partner with the government for mutually beneficial cost-effective energy savings. Finally, it includes mandatory electricity reliability requirements that address directly the failures that caused the blackout of 2003. This bill increases the security and reliability of the electric grid, while reducing natural gas and electricity prices by cutting the demand for natural gas and electricity in the near term, as well as in the longer term. Grid security is improved by adopting mandatory standards for operation. The EFFECTER Act seeks to address two key power supply issues-- electric reliability and natural gas prices. Reducing peak electric demand not only eases pressure on the electric grid but also reduces utility demand for natural gas, a major factor that has led to higher prices. Over the next ten years, this legislation can produce natural gas savings of over 3.3 quads annually--over 12 percent of total gas use; and peak electricity savings of 145,000 megawatts--equivalent to 350 new power plants of 400 MW capacity. Mr. Speaker, as we celebrate Earth Day, please join me in supporting the EFFECTER Act which will help reduce energy needs and provide for a cleaner environment. Let's respond to our country's desperate needs today, before we have another energy crisis.

Mr. CUNNINGHAM

Mr. CUNNINGHAM. Mr. Speaker, Colonel Bud Day, former Vietnam prisoner of war for over 6 years, recalls in his book on how Jane Fonda, Ramsey Clark, and John Kerry energized the enemy through their accusations and hurt them as prisoners of war. Mr. Speaker, I was shot down over North Vietnam at that time. I can remember the anger and the disparaging remarks that John Kerry made about our service. I remember the rage in all of us from his slander. I am proud of the men and women that I served with in Vietnam and those that are serving us at great risk today in Iraq and Afghanistan and all over the world. Even today, John Kerry votes against defense, the military, veterans, and intelligence bills that would enforce the safe return of our men and women. We do not need someone that would vote like a Jane Fonda as commander in chief.

Mr. CUNNINGHAM

Mr. CUNNINGHAM. Mr. Speaker, I want to commend the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Rogers) and also my friend, the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Skelton), who I have the utmost respect for, and he knows that. This is not an issue of homosexuality. It is not an issue that a lot of my left wing friends talk about, but every day they will stand up on this House floor and say I am for the troops. Of course, everybody is; but yet they vote against defense bills, they vote against intelligence bills, and they also vote against or for every amendment that would gut both military and defense. We have an all-voluntary force, and to allow access on to our campuses is a good thing. I do not know about my colleagues; but when I see a young man or woman walking the streets, especially around D.C. here, I see pride. I see pride in service and support of this country, and they represent the same thing on our colleges and our universities; but, yet, there is still those that would block that using a whole host of examples of why not to do it. This ends a form of discrimination and restriction on free exchange of ideas and opportunities. I cannot tell my colleagues the number of people that I served with, young Filipinos, earning their citizenship by serving on ships, young men and women in minorities that come from our inner cities that normally would not have a chance to achieve. Many of those people have learned their discipline and their leadership skills from the military where they would not otherwise have had a chance. They would end up in a low-paying job or on welfare or whatever. It is a great opportunity, and we ought to let this opportunity have some light and have equal representation on our campuses. That is why we are standing here. That is why my friend, the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Skelton), and most of the Members on both sides of this aisle are here; but yet the liberal left will fight it tooth, hook and nail, just like they vote against defense and they vote against Intel and then say we are for the troops. Well, there is a line. Patriotism is unchanging and a work that has to be taken every single day. I want to thank my friends for supporting this bill.

Mr. CUNNINGHAM

Mr. CUNNINGHAM. Mr. Speaker, I, on this side of the aisle, I am also saddened. I have the greatest respect for the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Murtha), the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Skelton), and the people I work with on the Subcommittee on Defense of the Committee on Appropriations and the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, and I think that we should have worked this together. But I tell my colleagues on the other side, I have been here 14 years, and this is the worst partisan bickering I have seen from the Democrat leadership since I have been here. And when my colleagues ask us to be bipartisan, I think you need to look inward at what has happened on this House floor recently. They say the President overstated. But look at what Dr. Kay said. Liberal Democrats will not tell you what Dr. Kay actually said that Saddam Hussein and Iraq was even more dangerous from what we have found out since we went in there than we thought prior to the war. More dangerous. He said that any reasonable person, including any country, would know that Saddam Hussein was working on weapons of mass destruction; that he had them, used them against his own people, and would feel that he still had weapons of mass destruction. So when I hear from the left that the President overstated, it's not so; and it makes me mad to point fingers like that. Evidence of weapons of mass destruction going to Syria. Dr. Kay. Any reasonable person would believe WMD. Saddam Hussein ethically cleansed four times the number of people, four times, than when my liberal friends supported President Clinton going into Bosnia and Kosovo because of ethnic cleansing. Was there chemical or biological or nuclear weapons there? No, but ethnic cleansing. And the liberal left, the most extreme case of bantering a secretary that I watched in the Haiti discussion was miserable. Tell me there is weapons of mass destruction in Haiti. Announcement by the Speaker Pro Tempore

Mr. CUNNINGHAM

Mr. CUNNINGHAM. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 14th Annual Sharp Women's Health Symposium. This year's symposium, scheduled for Saturday, February 28 at the San Diego Convention Center, focuses on women recharging for their health, their family, and their career. The Sharp Women's Health Symposium's mission is to empower women to assume greater personal responsibility for their own health and the health of their families. I offer the following resolution in recognition of the Sharp Women's Health Symposium: Whereas, since 1989, Sharp HealthCare has hosted a daylong health symposium for women in San Diego and this event is widely recognized as one of the most successful women's health symposiums in the country offer women a day of fun and health education. Since 1989, more than 16,000 women have attended the symposium. Whereas, the Sharp Women's Health Symposium has become one of the largest women's health events in the country. One of the attractions of this event is keeping the focus on San Diego community and wellness resources. While the event reaches nearly 2,000 women in San Diego, many women travel great distances to attend the symposium because currently, there isn't an event in their geographical area that meets their needs like the symposium does. Whereas, Sharp recognizes that women have special healthcare needs throughout all stages of their lives. The symposium energizes, inspires and enlightens San Diego women as they invest in their health and their lives. Participants gain new understandings that lead to better decision-making and improved physical and emotional health. Whereas, women are seeking health and wellness information especially with the trend towards mind-body-spirit medicine. The Sharp Women's Health Symposium was developed to meet the needs of busy women and provide a one-day symposium--a sort of one stop shopping of practical health information. Whereas, the Sharp Symposium energizes, inspires, and enlightens women to take an interest in their health. The event educates women about their bodies, and hopes that through the knowledge they gain, women will make better decisions regarding their health both physically and emotionally. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to rise today to congratulate Sharp Healthcare on its continuing success in educating women about healthcare. As a son, a husband, and the father of two daughters who is committed to programs to improve women's health, I applaud Sharp Healthcare for its longstanding efforts to improve the lives of women across the country.

Mr. CUNNINGHAM

Mr. CUNNINGHAM. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor an outstanding constituent and educator in my 50th Congressional District of California, Debra Brice, for her extraordinary effort to bring real scientific research to the classroom. Debra Brice, a teacher at San Marcos Middle School, was chosen by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Teacher at Sea Program to participate in a 3-week long research cruise in the Pacific Ocean. Debra Brice, along with fellow teacher Viviana Zamorano from Arica, Chile, embarked on Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO) Research Vessel Roger Revelle from Ecuador on November 10, 2003 and traveled for three weeks to Arica, Chile. The primary purpose of this cruise is to recover and then deploy again a well-instrumented surface mooring from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute (WHOI) under the stratocumulus clouds found off Chile and Peru in the vicinity of 20S, 85W. Ms. Brice became an integral part of the research team and ship's crew and established relationships that will give her access to scientific resources for many years to come. While onboard, Ms. Brice also hosted Web broadcasts, maintained daily logs, took photographs, interviewed scientists, and answered her students' e-mail messages. I am pleased to thank NOAA for its sponsorship of Debra Brice in the NOAA Teacher at Sea Program. With this knowledge and experience, Debra Brice will continue to engage her students and excite their curiosity about science and the sea.

Mr. CUNNINGHAM

Mr. CUNNINGHAM. Mr. Chairman, I do not believe that members on either side of the aisle are mean spirited. I think the Democratic Presidential candidates are honorable men. But if you watch the debates, they are being pretty mean to each other. And I think on this floor between now and November you are going to see a lot of meanness and partisanship that is going to come across in political rhetoric. That is disconcerting. It is not why we came here. According to my colleagues on the other side, Republicans do not care about middle-class people. And first of all, there is no such thing as a middle-class person. There may be middle income, but to play the class card I think is wrong. We care about middle-income folks. We have different ways sometimes of getting to them and helping them. But we do care. I want to tell you that my mother and my father and most of my family on both sides are middle income, and we care about their jobs as well. And there are other things that we can do. But I think the rhetoric that is going on between now and November, I think, the American people are going to tune out. Do you know how many jobs we lost to fires in California and billions of dollars in homes lost and jobs lost? Well, a lot of those jobs could have been saved, but we have some people that want to save the environment through extreme measures. We wanted to cut brush for the last decade that caused a lot of these fires and the firemen not to keep up. The firemen asked us to put in roads in our forests so they would have access to save those forests, save those jobs, and have a safe route out. We lost 23 firemen; 23 firemen killed. They wish they had jobs and a job opportunity. But they do not because we were not allowed to do that because of environmental movements of many of the Members on this floor. And that is wrong. How many gnat catchers and endangered species do we have in the moonscape in California right now? Look at it. It looks like a moon. It looks like a desert. We had a lot of people killed and a lot of jobs lost. And that is wrong. Now, I am not saying it was intentionally done, but for political reasons or whatever it is, there is a lot of ways in which we can come together. But the distance you are going to put between the parties between now and November for this kind of tactic I think is wrong.

Mr. CUNNINGHAM

Mr. CUNNINGHAM. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 50th anniversary of the San Diego County Deputy Sheriff's Association (DSA). I am proud to recognize the contributions they have made to the community, the Sheriff's Department, and San Diego County. As many of us know, it is difficult to succeed at anything without support. DSA has been providing that necessary and crucial support to San Diego County law enforcement for 50 years. The Deputy Sheriff's Association has a noble mission to promote professionalism in law enforcement. In addition, the DSA holds honesty, integrity, dedication, accountability, respect, compassion, courage, and trust as core values. Specifically, I want to recognize the 2004 Board Members: President, Jim Duffy; Vice President, Ernie Carillo, Secretary/Treasurer, Jim Birdsong; and Directors James Armand, Gary Chambers, John Mercer, Ron Morse, Dave Myers, and Donna Perone. Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to recognize the San Diego Deputy Sheriff's Association as they celebrate their 50th anniversary. I thank the DSA for their continued service and wish them another 50 productive years.

Mr. CUNNINGHAM

Mr. CUNNINGHAM. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the educators honored by the California League of Middle Schools as ``Educators of the Year.'' It is an honor to acknowledge the contributions they have made in the effort to implement education reform in California's middle school curriculum. The California League of Middle Schools (CLMS) Educator of the Year Award Program annually recognizes the achievements of 11 educators from regions throughout California. Awardees exemplify educators who are able to inspire and motivate diverse groups of students in their educational endeavors. I am proud to nominate these eleven distinguished recipients of this award along with the thousands of educators from the State of California for the tremendous and exemplary work they do everyday in the classroom. CLMS honors those displaying outstanding understanding of their teenage students and who are supportive of upward middle school movement. They are committed to employ the principles of Caught in the Middle, Turning Points, and Taking Center Stage, and incorporate State Frameworks and Standards into their curriculum. These leaders are dedicated to motivating and inspiring students while utilizing innovative educational tools. As enthusiastic role models, these educators are proactive in the pursuit of improving Middle School education for students now and in the future. I am pleased to honor the following Middle School Educators: Jane Karcher, from Washington Middle School, Raiford Henry, from Roosevelt Middle School, Gabriele Calvin-Shannon, from Madison Middle School, Jami Phillips, from Woodland Park Middle School, Teresa Allen, from San Marcos Middle School, Julie Doria, from Olive Peirce Middle School, Mehrak Selby, from Marston Middle School, Steve Rodriguez, from Montgomery Middle School, John Lazarcik, from Kennedy Middle School, Lawrie Kueneman, from Oak Crest Middle School and Dr. Larry Maw from the San Marcos Unified School District. Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to recognize the Middle School Educators of the year today for the outstanding contributions they have made to the education system. I thank them for their service and wish them continued success in the future.

Mr. CUNNINGHAM

Mr. CUNNINGHAM. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman and the ranking member. This is a good bill. It is a bipartisan effort. The members, the people that have been on the committee and the new members I think have done a good job, and especially the staffs. Everybody should vote for this bill. It is good however, I have some concerns that I would like to bring up, not about the bill, but about the intelligence process. For years, our military has been drawn and cut down in half. If you look at the Air Wings, the number of services, the number of tanks, the number of ships, the number of Marine Corps, the number of Air Wings that we have, it has almost been cut in half, but yet we ask our military to do almost four times what they did during previous years. Now, how does that effect the intelligence community? Because every time DOD is deployed, our intelligence agents have to deploy with them. We spread them thin. And there are Members in this body and the other body that continually, through their liberal views, choose to cut defense and intel to pay for social programs. Now, those in many cases are the same Members that I have heard get up on this floor and in the other body talk about, oh, how devastating it is that we do not have enough body armor for our troops or we cannot upgrade Humvees or that George Tenent should be replaced. But in some cases, those same Members have voted to cut the funding necessary to give those individuals the tools they need to do their job, and that is wrong. You will not see that portion in any report that we have done either in this body or the other body, because I do not think they have got the guts to put it in there. They will not point at themselves, because they won't give our kids and our intel folks the funding that they need. We have older systems that have been drawn out. In the previous administration, we went into Haiti and Somalia. Those places are the hell holes of the Earth, and they are still there. Look at Kosovo, the number of missions. You know how many tanks we sunk in Kosovo? Five. We destroyed a country, but we had five kills and we wore out our equipment. Guess what? CIA and intel and NSA, they were all involved in that, and we spread them thin. So I would caution the Members who chastise Mr. Tenent or any of the other leadership that we put in those positions because we need to give them the tools to do their job. They are hard working, dedicated individuals, spread to thin. The other thing that I would bring up that upsets me is that there have been some memos using this committee in the other body as a partisanship tool to take a majority and the White House. That is wrong. During a time of war, Mr. Speaker, that does disservice to this Nation, to this committee and to the American people.

Mr. CUNNINGHAM

Mr. CUNNINGHAM. Mr. Speaker, this body should be proud. The California delegation, Republicans, Democrats, united. There were no party lines. There were no district lines in California. Members whose districts were not even affected called to help and offered concern. The day before yesterday, the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Davis), the gentleman from California (Mr. Hunter), the gentleman from California (Mr. Issa), and myself went through 10 town hall meetings with FEMA, Red Cross, SPA and other government agencies. We witnessed in some cases firefighters who had fought fires, saving other people's homes while their own homes burned down. I witnessed people at each of these emergency centers that had actually lost their homes, and they were volunteering at those centers to help other people that had lost their homes and things. The events of 9-11 showed that people do come together, and it did so in the State of California also. In Lake Wolford we saw the sight of a young girl, her brother was driving a car, overcome by smoke, crashed the car and she died a horrible death in front of the firefighters that could not get to her to save her life. We honor our firefighters. We lost 23 firefighters in 2003. We lost a firefighter, Steven Rucker, in this fight. Captain Doug McDonald its fighting for his life with over 18 percent of his body burned. If you really want to help our firefighters, if you really want to pay them homage, there are some things we can do. We are putting in the defense bill that there are strange laws where Federal tankers cannot get airborne. They could be there fully loaded with water and chemicals, and they cannot touch the fire if State and local funds have not maxed out. We are changing that, and we are asking for this body's help to do that. Firefighters for years have asked for us to put more roads in our forests, not just to have access to the fire, but so that they can get out. We lost 15 firefighters in Colorado because they could not get out of the fire. They did not have a road to come through. But yet we have been stopped from doing that by some people in this body and the other body. The bark beetle, we asked to be able to cut the dead wood and the trees, and not to cut just the dead wood but to cut wherever the bark beetles are. And that same group stopped us from doing that. In Julian, we lost most of Julian because of bark beetle trees and the fuel. The firefighters could not get to it. We also have for a decade been wanting to take care and thin brush out. For a decade. We have dead brush piled on dead brush every year, and we want to thin it; but we cannot do it because of a bird called a gnat catcher and the desert tortoise and those things. Well, I ask this body, how many of the endangered species do we have today? They are all burned up. Can you imagine what the winter rains are going to do with the mud and erosion in our lakes and streams? Those who stopped us from doing that are responsible for the aftermath that we are going through right now. So we can make those changes, ladies and gentlemen. Honor the firefighters and give them what they need.

Mr. CUNNINGHAM

Mr. CUNNINGHAM. Mr. Speaker, the young lady from San Francisco said that she is not going to vote for this bill. That did not surprise me a bit. When a person has a 35 percent defense rating, the highest ever in a career, it does not surprise me that this young lady would vote against this bill. The troops know, they know each and every one of us and what we do. I became a Republican, I was a Democrat, because of the folks in this body that turned their backs on us, many of us in Vietnam, some of those Republicans, too. To say, well, I am not going to vote for a bill that gives me the tools to do my job and survive, all these kids want to do is to be able to complete their mission, do their job and get home safely, and to deny them these funds that will do that, they know, and they know what their mission is every single day. Mr. Speaker, I think to deny the many, many positive things that are going on, the gentleman from California (Mr. Lewis) took a whole group, as he said, Republicans, Democrats, conservatives, liberals and others, to Iraq and you know what, even those that were opposed to Iraq when they got there and saw what was going on there, the positive things, the men and the women that were walking down the streets free. Now, there are some bad areas, Tikrit and Baghdad, but if my colleagues go to the south and go to the north, we have got young girls going to school now. They could not do that before. That is the plan, and these kids that are over there know that. They know it every single day. To deny that is a slap in the face to them, and all they want to do is do their job, and that is why it is important that those people that say, well, we should not be there, we are going to deny this money to these kids, that is wrong, because part of the mission is to build up Iraq so that we only ask one thing of them, that is, to give us a free and stable democracy, not ours, not Britain's, but their own. And you know what, the folks in Israel appreciate that. I flew in Israel and I know a stable Iraq, a stable Afghanistan, a stable Saudi Arabia. Do my colleagues know that Saudi Arabia since May, when the al Qaeda bombed them, they found over 20 tons of explosives from Saddam Hussein to al Qaeda? Saudi Arabia's arrested them. They would have not done that before. My colleagues want to know what our plan is? They found SA-7 stingers that were coming to the United States. My colleagues know what our plan is? I would rather fight them there than here and give our kids the tools.

Mr. CUNNINGHAM

Mr. CUNNINGHAM. Mr. Speaker, the gentleman who just spoke said that they left this House with $5 trillion. Well, in 1993 the rhetoric that they said, let us give tax breaks to the middle class, they raised the tax on the middle class. You increased the Social Security tax. You cut veterans COLAs. You cut military COLAs. You spent every dime out of the Social Security trust fund. And where you promised tax relief for the middle class, you increased it. And guess what? Republicans took the majority. And we reduced Social Security increases. We gave money back to the middle class so that they would have money to spend on their education systems. Not a single Democrat budget or economic policy has passed since. Not one. Not even the Blue Dogs. And so for you to take credit for the surplus is ridiculous. Unfortunately, it is an election year. I am going to vote for this motion. But what it is, as you can see from my colleagues on the other side, it is election year partisanship Republican bashing. That is all it is. They know that this is meaningless. But all they want to do is sit up here and bash Republicans. I am going to give you a couple of issues. You know that when we talk about how we finance education, my friends on the other side, anything to do with unions, they will not cut. Davis-Bacon for school construction, the right-to-work States save up to 30 percent on school construction, but do you think my colleagues on the other side would support a reduction in Davis-Bacon just for building schools? Absolutely not. That is where they get their campaign dollars. When you start caring about education more than you do the unions, come talk to me. Alan Bersin, Democrat under Bill Clinton, is the superintendent of San Diego city schools. His number one problem in the State of California, it was Gray Davis, it is not now, his number one problem is trial lawyers who are ripping off the schools for special education. In the D.C. bill at least we capped trial lawyers' fees. In 1 year we are giving $12 million for special education students, for special education programs, for special education activities, not to the trial lawyers. But do you think my friends on the other side would do that? No way. If you want to increase money, take a look at your own rhetoric. I am going to vote for this motion, but I want to tell the gentleman, when the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Obey) said that he drug Republicans for educational spending, the only thing the Democrats are doing right now is dragging their anchor. They are going to vote against the bill, and they do not want people to know that they are going to vote against education; and that is exactly what they are doing. This is another reason for them saying, all the mean Republicans. If you vote against this bill, you are voting to cut education, the very thing that you are bashing Republicans for. I resent the implication. You know how hard most of us work, on both sides of the aisle. My wife was chief of staff for the assistant Secretary of Education. I was a teacher and a coach in high school and college and dean of a college. My sister-in-law is in charge of special education in San Diego city schools. I stayed on the D.C. committee to improve education. And for your leadership to sit up here and say Republicans do not care about education, I resent it. I wish I could say more, but my words would be taken down.

Mr. CUNNINGHAM

Mr. CUNNINGHAM. Mr. Speaker, Governor-elect Schwarzenegger just addressed the Republican Conference, and he is meeting with leaders on both sides of the aisle. What he is asking for is help for the State of California. When I left San Diego, it literally looked like an atomic bomb went off. Going from Los Angeles to San Diego, it looks like a moonscape. Governor-elect Schwarzenegger is meeting with the leadership from the Democratic side and our side, and he said that we need to work together on this. Mr. Speaker, I do not know if most people understand the devastation. I have seen what B-52 raids do to a city. It fails in comparison to what is happening in San Diego. We ask Members of Congress on both sides of the aisle to work with us in California's desperate time.

Mr. CUNNINGHAM

Mr. CUNNINGHAM. Mr. Speaker, I have a parliamentary inquiry. Is it proper decorum of the House to call the President a liar?

Mr. CUNNINGHAM. Mr. Speaker, further parliamentary inquiry, there are slick ways to get around calling the President a liar and still doing it. I would object.