John Culberson

Mr. CULBERSON

Mr. CULBERSON. Mr. Chairman, at this time it is my pleasure to yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New Mexico (Mr. Pearce), my good friend.

Mr. CULBERSON. I thank the gentleman, just to say that, as you know, we discussed in full committee that the purpose of our bill was to shift the COPS hiring because it has not been reauthorized a number of years over to the Byrne JAG Program, which can be used for hiring because these are grant applications that can be tailored for your specific community. You can be sure the money is targeted precisely for your needs in Seattle or Philadelphia, so the Byrne JAG Program money can indeed be used for hiring police officers. I strongly support the gentleman's amendment because it will allow more community hiring of police officers, and that is a good thing. God bless all our law enforcement officers, and we can't give them enough support.

Mr. CULBERSON. Mr. Chairman, I reluctantly rise in opposition.

Mr. CULBERSON. Will the gentlewoman yield?

Mr. CULBERSON. Mr. Chair, I look forward to working with my colleague from Texas and with my colleague from Philadelphia on this matter as we move forward in the conference.

Mr. CULBERSON. Mr. Chairman, I claim the time in opposition.

Mr. CULBERSON. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to the amendment because our Federal prison system is already between 30 and 50 percent overcrowded. We have not built a new prison in the United States since 2009. It is vitally important that we have got these prisons in place to keep our most dangerous criminal offenders off the streets. The amendment that the gentlewoman has offered would immediately prevent the Bureau of Prisons from expanding its capacity and do severe damage to their ability to reduce overcrowding, which is a threat to the staff, a threat to the inmates, and a threat to the public. The gentlewoman's amendment--I understand she is concerned--to support the Manufacturing Extension program, we cannot do so at the expense of public safety.

Mr. CULBERSON. I yield to the gentleman from Kentucky, the full committee chairman.

Mr. CULBERSON

Mr. CULBERSON. Mr. Chairman, I claim the time in opposition, although I am not opposed to the gentleman's amendment.

Mr. CULBERSON. Mr. Chairman, I claim the time in opposition, although I am not opposed to the amendment.

Mr. CULBERSON. Mr. Chairman, I think the gentleman has a good amendment, and I would encourage Members to support it. I yield to the gentleman from Pennsylvania.

Mr. CULBERSON. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CULBERSON. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CULBERSON. Mr. Chairman, I believe the gentleman is exactly right. We, in the bill, have increased funding to reduce the rape kit backlog. This is a vitally important tool that local police departments are using to get these people off the streets as quickly as possible. I accept the gentleman's amendment. There is no punishment severe enough nor swift enough for these people. I think it is very, very important that we get these rape kits handled as quickly as possible, so I urge Members to support the gentleman's amendment.

Mr. CULBERSON. I yield to the gentleman from Pennsylvania.

Mr. CULBERSON. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CULBERSON. Reclaiming my time, I join my colleague in urging a ``no'' vote on this amendment, and will, again, work with my colleague in making sure the ATF continues to protect the Second Amendment rights of Americans. There is no greater power the Congress has than the power of the purse. I assure you as the new chairman that I am monitoring very, very closely to make sure that ATF, FBI, and the Department of Justice enforce the law and preserve our Second Amendment Rights. Therefore, I urge Members to vote ``no'', and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CULBERSON. Mr. Chairman, I claim the time in opposition, although I support the gentleman's amendment.

Mr. CULBERSON. I think the gentleman has a good amendment, and I would encourage the Members to support it. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CULBERSON. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word and enter into a colloquy with my good friend, the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Price).

Mr. CULBERSON. Mr. Chairman, I yield to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Price) for a colloquy.

Mr. CULBERSON. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to the amendment.

Mr. CULBERSON. Mr. Chairman, let me point out to all the Members of the House and those listening here this evening that the section Mr. Nadler attempts to strike is the only thing standing between President Barack Obama and his attempt to close Guantanamo Bay and transfer all these killers, these cowards, and these foreign nationals captured on the foreign battlefields either attempting to or having already killed American soldiers. This language that Mr. Nadler is attempting to strike prohibits, says: None of the funds appropriated by this or any other act may be used to construct or acquire or modify any facility in the United States to house any individual transferred into the United States from Guantanamo Bay. So, Mr. Chairman, we have got two provisions in this bill: no money to transfer anybody from Guantanamo into the United States--and that amendment, which will be a record vote, will be decisively defeated by the House in a minute--and then this amendment which Mr. Nadler is offering. We have put language in this bill for the last several years to make sure that President Obama cannot use Federal hard-earned taxpayer dollars to build a prison facility or modify it to house anybody transferred from Guantanamo. Now, this is very clear-cut. This is very simple. Obviously anybody held, if you are in a military tribunal, you get due process. That is not the issue. What Mr. Nadler is attempting to do with this amendment, again, is to give constitutional rights to foreign nationals captured on foreign battlefields engaged, and we are still at war with these people. We are still at war. And Mr. Nadler is attempting to extend constitutional protections fought for and died for by our ancestors to enemy combatants captured on foreign battlefields--never been done, absolutely unprecedented, and, frankly, unbelievable. I cannot even imagine the cost, the sacrifice, the burden on American taxpayers, the threat to American safety, for what? So these foreign nationals, these psychopathic killers in ISIL are going to respect us and like us because we give them a trial and gave them constitutional protection? Yeah, that is going to happen. Mr. Chairman, we are at war with a medieval mindset that is determined to destroy our way of life and our liberty. They are hostile to everything that our Founding Fathers fought for. These people would destroy this Constitution that we have had for over 200 years, worked so hard to preserve and protect. I cannot think of anything more destructive or damaging to the morale of our troops, to the morale of our Nation, and to all of those families who lost loved ones in the war on terror than to bring in these killers and cowards in the United States and grant them the protections guaranteed to American citizens in the United States Constitution. Mr. Chairman, I urge Members to oppose this amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. CULBERSON. Will the gentleman yield?

Mr. CULBERSON. I completely agree, and I join my ranking member in accepting this amendment and working with you. If there is something we didn't spot or anticipate, we will work it out. But I think the gentleman has got a good amendment, and I would agree, I would recommend we would accept it.