John Culberson

Mr. CULBERSON

Mr. CULBERSON. Yes, Mr. Cuellar. Absolutely, we're going to bore in on this. MD Anderson, of course, is one of the Nation's greatest cancer centers. We have had complaints and concerns expressed to my office about the slow pay of the Veterans' Administration for MD Anderson's treatment of VA patients. And absolutely, we're going to get to the bottom of it. There's just no excuse for it. If services have been rendered--and clearly, MD Anderson, again, if you're lucky enough to be treated by MD Anderson, they're the greatest in the world. We're going to make sure that they're paid promptly. I understand that MD Anderson is currently owed over $1 million. It's just unacceptable. We'll do everything we can to help.

Mr. CULBERSON. I also want to be sure to thank my colleague from Texas (Mr. Cuellar) and say how much I've enjoyed working with him over the years in securing our border in Texas. We've got language in the bill, which Mr. Cuellar suggested, to encourage the Army National Guard to work with our Border Patrol and law enforcement authorities on the border in a cooperative way to ensure that the laws are enforced because, of course, we want that border to work securely and fairly so we get that strong economic growth back and forth while keeping out the criminals and gunrunners. Henry, you've been a leader in this effort to secure the border, and it's a privilege to work with you on this

Mr. CULBERSON. Madam Chairman, at this time I'd like to yield 2 minutes to my good friend from Kansas (Mr. Yoder).

Mr. CULBERSON. Madam Chairman, at this time I'd like to yield such time as he might consume to the distinguished gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Altmire) for the purpose of a colloquy.

Mr. CULBERSON. Madam Chairman, my colleagues from Pennsylvania raise a really important issue that absolutely the subcommittee will look into. It's a constant source of concern for us to see Federal agencies waste our constituents' precious tax dollars for, it appears to me from the way you've described it, possible elimination of existing good service, duplication of existing service, and unnecessary expenditure of tax dollars. We will work very closely with you and do all that we can to help make sure that the veterans that you represent are being given the very best possible health care at the best value for taxpayers. Thank you very much.

Mr. CULBERSON. Will the gentleman yield?

Mr. CULBERSON. Madam Chairman, at this time I'd like to engage in a colloquy with the distinguished chairman of the House Transportation Committee, Mr. Mica of Florida. I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman for that purpose.

Mr. CULBERSON. Will the gentleman yield?

Mr. CULBERSON. Thank you, Chairman Mica. You've been a stalwart leader on behalf of veterans for many years here in Congress. And thank you for bringing this to our attention. The subcommittee is going to give it our full attention and make sure that facility is built in a way that's cost effective and takes care of your veterans.

Mr. CULBERSON. Madam Chairman, as we wrap up the opening part of this bill, I think it's important to point out to the Members of the House, to the country, that this is the third appropriations bill that has been brought to the House floor under the leadership of Chairman Rogers, the third appropriations bill that we've brought up as a new majority in the House. And this, to my knowledge, is the first time in American history that there have been three successive spending bills in a row.

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

Mr. CULBERSON. What I was remembering, my good friend, Mr. Dicks, is when we first came in the spring, I think there was an omnibus bill that had to be dealt with.

Mr. CULBERSON. What we've done, I know on this committee, is work arm-in-arm to find ways to solve the Nation's problems.

Mr. CULBERSON. We are indeed. We're going to finish this bill tonight, Mr. Dicks. But it's important to point out, I think, that Chairman Rogers deserves a great deal of credit. This committee has worked. We have searched every nook and cranny we can of the Federal budget under our jurisdiction to save every possible dollar we can, and this is the first time, certainly in my memory and my knowledge of American history, that we've had multiple appropriations bills in a row that have reduced Federal spending. Our constituents want us to do, obviously, far more. Yet when it comes to the military, when it comes to Veterans Affairs, we have worked arm in arm to save every possible dollar while at the same time preserving the quality of care for our veterans in the VA health care system. Then, in the armed services of the United States, when they're in uniform, we have made certain that all of their needs are taken care of when it comes to housing, when it comes to the education of their kids, when it comes to the caliber of the facilities that they have to live and work in. So it is our privilege to bring this bill to the House tonight in a bipartisan fashion. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CULBERSON. I rise to accept the gentleman's amendment.

Mr. CULBERSON. Madam Chairman, the gentleman's amendment seeks to increase by $10 million the Department of Defense's investment in planning and design funds for the Energy Conservation Investment Program, which is certainly a worthwhile program. I accept the amendment, but I cannot stand idly by when I hear the gentleman refer to energy independence. There is no greater energy independence for America than a ``drill here and drill now'' for American energy resources. I proudly represent the west side of Houston. My neighbors, my friends, my colleagues are geophysicists and engineers who have kids in school and who play at the beach. I've grown up on the Galveston seawall while watching oil and gas rigs right off the shore. We can produce American oil and gas cleanly, safely, immediately, creating hundreds of thousands of jobs, vast wealth for the Nation and making America energy independent in the short run and in the medium run. Clearly, we need to make investments in the future for alternative sources of energy, and I certainly agree with the gentleman from Oregon about the need to make investments looking out into the future. Rice University, which I also proudly represent, is doing extraordinary work in developing ways of using carbon nanostructures to transmit electricity ballistically so that we can transmit, store, and transport electricity in ways that were never possible before. That holds the promise of making America energy independent, but that's way down the road. I do have to say that, while I support the gentleman's amendment, I feel compelled to point out, if you would just unleash the entrepreneurship, the good judgment and the extraordinary technological capability, then the people of America, many of whom I proudly represent in west Houston, would be able to produce vast amounts of American oil and gas right here in the United States immediately. It would be a tremendous boost to the Nation's economy, making America energy independent in the short run. Clearly, because we've got enough shale gas, we could, frankly, support ourselves on shale gas and oil for who knows how long. I do agree with the gentleman: for the long term, we do need to look at energy alternatives. Certainly, with regard to the Department of Defense, you've reduced one account by $10 million and plussed up this account by $10 million so that the overall cost of the bill does not go up. I do accept the gentleman's amendment, but I have a respectful disagreement with the premise of his argument. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CULBERSON. Will the gentleman yield?

Mr. CULBERSON. Madam Chair, we have no objection to the amendment and will be happy to accept it.

Mr. CULBERSON. Will the gentleman yield?

Mr. CULBERSON. We will accept the gentleman's amendment. He raised an important point for the committee's consideration.

Mr. CULBERSON. Madam Chairman, I ask unanimous consent to consider out of order amendment No. 1 by the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Blumenauer) and an amendment by the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Schock).

Mr. CULBERSON. The gentleman brings to the attention of the Congress and the country an extraordinarily important issue that the committee is focused on. Post-traumatic stress disorder is so extraordinarily important and difficult to diagnosis in many cases. I appreciate the gentleman's amendment. We welcome it and will continue to do everything we can to help make sure to alleviate the suffering of a lot of our veterans and what they go through as they return from serving this great Nation. We accept the amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. CULBERSON. Reclaiming my time, you're right. And that's the problem, my friend, Mr. Dicks, from Washington State. Truly, you're exactly right. The VA can and will require a nonunion contractor in Texas to unionize before they can even----

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