John Culberson

Mr. CULBERSON

Mr. CULBERSON. Mr. Speaker, I think it is appropriate here in late September that we are discussing the future of America's manned space program, because it was in late September that America's first explorers, Lewis and Clark, returned from their incredible expedition to have seen the Pacific Ocean to find that overland route. And when they returned from that totally unknown country, they lit up the country, and something that America has always been built on, dreams and thinking big. It has always been a part of our spirit, our nature to explore the unknown. And NASA, more than any other function of the Federal Government, has the ability to inspire people, to encourage young people to go become scientists and engineers and astronauts. In fact, today, Mr. Speaker, it was just reported by scientists at the University of California that they have discovered what appears to be an Earth-like planet with water in the habitable zone of a star only 20 light years away. But if we do not act, if we do not pass this NASA authorization bill tonight, the Obama administration will succeed in shutting down America's manned space program by the end of the year. And let me make it clear: that is what is really going on here, why all of us are working together, arm in arm, to save America's manned space program from being shut down by the Obama administration and the bureaucrats at NASA. I asked Administrator Bolden in our subcommittee, Isn't what you are proposing, to totally privatize NASA? And we are all for partial privatization to supply fuel, food, et cetera. But to totally privatize NASA, Mr. Bolden, isn't that like privatizing the Navy? Imagine if we were to allow the contractor that built a nuclear submarine or an aircraft carrier: Excuse me, may we please rent the aircraft carrier so that we can go to the Persian Gulf and defend America's interests? What the Obama administration has proposed, and why Congress is passing this bill tonight, is to stop the administration from shutting down America's civilian space program, to ensure that we will always maintain the ability to build rockets in the civilian workforce, which keeps the cost of rockets for the military considerably less; to preserve our leadership role in outer space, to maintain that technological and, frankly, spiritual edge America has always had to make dreams come true, to think about the exploration of the unknown. NASA is the one entity that can combine the best of Americans, what makes us great as a Nation, inspiring young people, allowing, making dreams come true, exploring the unknown with very tangible technological spinoffs. If we don't pass this bill tonight, by the end of this year there will be no more manned space program because the Obama administration is systematically and aggressively shutting it down. We all have some disagreement with this bill; we would like to see a little different bill. I thank Chairman Gordon and Mr. Hall, for bringing it to the floor. All of us working together to get it passed tonight will ensure that America preserves our manned space flight capability, the ability to build rockets with a tremendous civilian workforce of engineers and scientists who will all be gone. They will just lose their job, and we will lose that tremendous edge we have had as a Nation to build rockets and explore outer space. Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to support this vital legislation.

Mr. CULBERSON. I yield to the gentlewoman from Texas.

Mr. CULBERSON

Mr. CULBERSON. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. CULBERSON. Mr. Chairman, listening to the way the Democrats approach this issue and every issue on spending, I am reminded of Winston Churchill's comment that trying to tax and spend yourself into prosperity is like a man trying to raise himself up while standing in a bucket. It is illogical, it is disproven by history, that you can raise taxes and expect the economy to improve. It is illogical. It defies historical fact to say you're going to take money away from one group of people and spend it somewhere else and increase prosperity. This amendment is a modest 18 percent cut in a bill that has seen a 23 percent increase in fiscal year '10 in programs that got $62 billion additional funding through the stimulus, of which $10 billion is still sitting there unspent. How much is enough? I am still waiting to meet the first Democrat that says, ``That's enough money. Don't spend any more.'' I'm still waiting. I've not met him yet. There is never enough money. There is always some need out there that needs to be filled, but no better way to meet that need than to increase prosperity by letting average Americans keep more of their own hard-earned money to invest and spend and save as they wish, to let business owners hire people by giving them the certainty that their taxes aren't going to go up and they're not going to be torn apart by trial lawyers and they're not going to be buried by the cost of unions. We need as a Nation to lift up the whole economy by spending less money in Washington. We need to cut taxes and cut spending. And if we can't cut 18 percent here in a bill that's got a 23 percent increase and got a 90 percent increase last year, where can we cut?

Mr. CULBERSON. Mr. Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. CULBERSON. The Congressional Budget Office just released a report this week which shows we are on the brink of an unprecedented debt crisis in this Nation which could, in and of itself, trigger a new financial crisis because, if the credit markets become concerned that we, as a Nation, may be overstretched and unable to repay in full the unprecedented national debt that's out there owned by the public, owned by sovereign wealth funds, the credit markets will turn on us very quickly as they did in Greece, as they did in Argentina and in others nations. Moody's has even warned because of the excessive spending by this President and by this Congress, Moody's has estimated we might, as a Nation, lose our AAA bond rating by 2018, perhaps as early as 2013. Constitutional conservatives such as myself have been working hard to find ways to save money, to bring the spending levels under control to avoid crushing our children under the load of debt, the deficits. The burden that these levels of debt and deficit will impose on our kids will undoubtedly result in massive tax increases, dramatic cuts in social programs. And every chance we get, Mr. Chairman, on every bill, we want to try to do what we can to save money. And so my amendment today would cut the total spending level in this bill by 18 percent. Remember that this legislation, the transportation appropriations bill, received a 23 percent increase in fiscal year 2010; that the stimulus bill--which I voted against as all borrowed money--the stimulus bill puts $62 billion into transportation. Of that $62 billion, there's still $10 billion unspent. I understand, Mr. Chairman, that the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Neugebauer) has got an amendment later to take that $10 billion of unspent transportation money from the stimulus bill and return that to the taxpayers to reduce the deficit. My amendment is offered today to cut $12 billion out of this transportation bill. I would prefer to send it back to subcommittee, Mr. Chairman, and let Chairman Olver and my distinguished ranking member have a chance to decide where to cut it; but this is an 18 percent across-the-board cut, an important step moving back towards a balanced budget. A constitutional conservative majority if elected to this Congress in November will, beginning in January, get this Nation back on track to a balanced budget by imposing strict spending discipline everywhere we can. This amendment is designed to begin that process. The current level of debt out there today owned by the public, by sovereign wealth funds, exceeds $13 trillion. It's unprecedented, it's dangerous, and it's unacceptable to burden our children with this level of debt. And since our transportation programs just got a $62 billion increase in the stimulus, since our transportation programs just got a 23 percent increase in fiscal year 2010, surely we can cut $12 billion out of this bill and save our kids and prevent our children and grandchildren from paying that off. Because every dollar we spend here today is borrowed money. One hundred percent of the money brought into the Treasury in revenue goes right out the door for Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and interest on the national debt. This is borrowed money, Mr. Chairman. I would move passage of the amendment. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. CULBERSON

Mr. CULBERSON. That's what I remember. The jet fuel is particularly vital. And, Kevin, we found out in the roundtable you held in Houston last week, as you said, jobs are being lost as we speak. We, as a Nation, are going to lose those jobs permanently. The infrastructure, the rigs themselves, particularly the semisubmersible floating rigs, are tremendously expensive to operate and maintain, and they are already leaving. Kevin, what did we learn? What did you hear about what's happening to these offshore rigs? Where are they going if we don't reverse this moratorium and stop it?

Mr. CULBERSON. Mr. Brady, I just want to join you and Congressman Poe in inviting the President to come to Houston. Come meet, firsthand, these people, these fine men and women who are so committed to finding and producing American oil and gas cleanly and safely. These are our neighbors and friends, Congressman Brady and Congressman Poe, who we live with, alongside, have picnics with. These are good people. We all know how committed they are to this Nation and to finding American oil and gas cleanly and safely. Come to Houston, President Obama. Meet them firsthand. See how much pride they take in their work, how much pride they take in their country, and how valuable and important their role is in this Nation's economy. I yield back.

Mr. CULBERSON. Congressman Brady, I also want to say that we have extended an invitation to the President to come to Houston to meet the workers of the Johnson Space Center, where the President's administration has attempted to shut down America's manned space program, similar, as the administrator even admitted in my subcommittee, I asked him, Isn't what the administration is proposing on NASA like privatizing the Navy so that we would have to rent an aircraft carrier, we'd have to rent spacecraft? It looks to me, Congressman Brady, that map you've got down there that you're showing us, I see a striking parallel there, Congressman Poe, that jobs affected by the President's attempt to shut down the manned space program--which, thankfully, Congress has rejected. And I want to thank the chairmen of the committees because we are going to get legislation to build a heavy-lift vehicle and manned capsule. Congress rejected the President's unwise strategy. We need to reject this unwise moratorium. But looks like the attempt to shut down the manned space program affected jobs in those same areas. To shut down the oil and gas industry affects jobs in those same areas. The attempt to cap and tax energy production in the United States devastating the American energy industry affects jobs in those same areas. I think all those areas are Republican. Aren't all those States in those areas pretty strongly Republicans? Certainly there's no correlation there, is there? Looks to me like there might be a pattern. As Congressman Brady correctly points out, this administration's quick to bail out their buddies in the unions, but slow to protect American jobs that enhance this Nation's security, that enhance our prosperity. This moratorium is an outrage and we need to stop it. I thank you, Congressman Brady, for giving us this time on the floor to talk about it.

Mr. CULBERSON. Imagine if you are, Mr. Speaker, a business owner, a banker, someone who wants and needs and is prepared to make a significant investment because these are tremendously expensive operations to drill in either shallow--or in the deep water they're even more expensive--imagine you want to make that investment but you're, A, not sure is the permit deep or shallow. Well, it has now been rewritten by the Obama administration, attempting to circumvent the Federal court's order stopping the moratorium. The administration has simply rewritten their moratorium to bypass the court order. So if you as a company are trying to make this significant investment, significant amount of money, you have no way of knowing when or if permits are ever going to be issued, what type of permits are possibly ever going to be issued. They're just going to leave. The money, as Congressman Brady has said so eloquently, will go overseas. The rigs, the equipment, the jobs, the talent, the skilled American jobs that have worked; people in families generation after generation that have worked in the offshore oil industry in the United States will just leave. They're gone. Again, I know this firsthand. I've met these men and women. I know how committed they are to finding and producing oil and gas cleanly and safely. And no one has got a bigger stake than they do.

Mr. CULBERSON. That is a key point.

Mr. CULBERSON. Which his own commissioned opposed and which flies in the face of the record, tremendous record of safety and cleanliness of producing oil and gas offshore in the gulf. Again 99.99 percent of all the oil and gas produced in offshore waters of the United States have been produced cleanly, safely, even during giant hurricanes, when there were underwater landslides in the gulf. In particular, I remember Hurricane Ivan, which caused underwater landslides and severed oil pipelines underneath the Gulf of Mexico. There were no leaks. They have got a tremendous record of safety because they follow guidelines. All of these rigs as a rule follow the guidelines of the IPAA. The Independent Petroleum Association of America has safety guidelines that are followed by offshore drilling rigs. They have got a tremendous record of safety. I am not sure of any other energy industry that has got a better safety record than the oil and gas industry, other than perhaps the nuclear industry. This catastrophic tragic accident is one we need to obviously make sure doesn't happen again, but not in such a blanket, destructive way.

Mr. CULBERSON. Congressman Brady, I know you have seen, as I have, these countries where these rigs are going overseas. The companies themselves also have got high standards. They are going to maintain a safe, clean environment for their workers and produce oil as safely and cleanly as they can. But common sense tells you, where are they going to have better, cleaner standards for producing oil and gas: In Indonesia, or off the coast of Louisiana and Texas? Where are the standards going to be better to protect the environment: Here in the United States or in a Third World nation where they are not as concerned with protecting the environment as we are here in America? I had a chance to work on offshore rigs in the summers in college as what is called a mudlogger, sort of a well-side geologist. It was great work. These are great jobs. I had a chance to experience it firsthand and see the level of commitment of these men and now women that work on the rigs and in the offshore industry that know better than anybody how to make sure a well doesn't blow out. No one has a greater stake in protecting the safety of their workers, in protecting the environment, in producing oil and gas safely and cleanly, than the companies themselves. The liability that they are exposed to is immense. They care deeply about the safety of their workers. The rigs that I worked on offshore were both jack-up rigs and semisubmersible rigs. And this was in the late 1970s and 1980s, right before the bottom dropped out and oil got so cheap and a lot of the service companies disappeared because of the price of oil declining so rapidly. But the technology today is so amazing that we are enabled to drill at the depths that the Deepwater Horizon was drilling in, Congressman Brady. I have to wonder as a conservative, as a Texan, watching this administration not let any crisis go to waste, and remembering, as I do, Congressman Brady, when last summer or the summer before the last election, that Speaker Pelosi and this liberal majority had shut down all offshore drilling in the United States. And you remember when the Congress adjourned in the summer of 2008, Kevin, I remember you coming on to the House floor with your suitcase. Remember we stayed down here and kept talking to force the Speaker and this liberal majority to lift the moratorium on offshore drilling. We stayed down here and talked to the gallery. We used our social media devices to talk to the country on Twitter and Facebook and Quick. The country responded. The Nation supports, the Nation understands the importance of producing American oil and gas. The country supports drilling in offshore waters, continues to support drilling in the offshore waters of its United States. Despite this catastrophic, terrible accident, the Nation understands that this is an anomaly, that this is something that does not happen, it has not happened in all the many years that we have been producing oil and gas in the offshore waters of the United States. And that last summer, that August of 2008, Congressman Brady, when the House had adjourned and we stayed down here and kept talking, ultimately we forced the leadership of the House to reverse its position and withdraw temporarily their ban on offshore drilling. Yet as soon as this administration actually gets back in place and the first chance they get when they have a catastrophic accident offshore, what do they do, in opposition to the recommendation of their own commission? Without knowing the exact cause of the accident, they impose a blanket moratorium, stopping all drilling. It literally is as though you stop all airplane flights when a DC-10 falls out of the air in the clear blue sky, a catastrophic, terrible accident. But it is a particular type of aircraft, and you would want to find out what caused that particular type of aircraft to fall out of the sky. Instead, this administration's knee-jerk reaction, taking advantage of this crisis I believe to achieve their bigger, their long-term goal as liberals to shut off as much domestic oil and gas production and exploration as they can, they have imposed this moratorium, so destructive, so shortsighted, so damaging, not only to the economy of the Gulf Coast States, Congressman Brady, but to the Nation, driving up the price of oil and gas, driving up the price of gasoline, driving American jobs overseas, driving these rigs overseas where the wells will be drilled in areas of the world where they do not have the concern, they do not have the restrictions on protecting the environment that we do here in the United States. The liberals are so obsessed with stopping all drilling in the United States I believe, that's where this moratorium comes from, and we, the American people, understand how shortsighted and how destructive it is. In fact, one other aspect that we need to be sure to educate people about, Madam Speaker, as a part of the overall policy of this Congress, this liberal majority in Congress, that we talked about earlier today, Congressman Brady, is the effort of this Congress to prohibit fracturing of formations. There is this general direction of the Obama administration, under the Obama-Pelosi regime, to shut down as much domestic oil and gas production and exploration as they can. They even want to make it illegal to fracture formations, which would devastate the production of natural gas in the United States. In fact, Congressman Brady, I see here on the USGS Web site, when you look up how much recoverable oil is available in North Dakota and Montana's Bakken Formation, the U.S. Geological Survey estimates that the Bakken Formation has an estimated 3 to 4 billion barrels, quoting, of undiscovered technically recoverable oil in an area known as the Bakken Formation. Yet if this majority has its way, they would prohibit fracturing thousands of feet deep, far below any fresh drinking water, fracturing those formations and allowing us to get access to that recoverable oil and gas. This moratorium on offshore drilling is devastating to the gulf, damaging to the Nation, but part of what I see, a larger pattern of behavior by this administration, by this Congress, until we can replace them come January, to shut down all domestic oil and gas exploration. Is that consistent with what you are seeing and hearing?

Mr. CULBERSON. If I could, I want to visit with you because you are so knowledgeable about this. The States of Louisiana and Texas, as you know, have played such a vital role in producing oil and gas offshore. You serve on the Energy and Commerce Committee, and I wanted to ask, isn't it true that the committee, your committee, other committees of Congress, have come to no conclusion as to the cause of this accident, and even though we don't know what caused it yet, the President's imposed a blanket moratorium, shutting down all drilling; is that correct?

Mr. CULBERSON. Once they're gone, those rigs will be almost impossible to bring back to the United States. The world's appetite for oil is going to continue for some time. All of us are committed to an all-of-the-above energy policy that encourages development in the intermediate term of alternative energy sources and the longer term, developing innovative new technologies like the quantum wire project, the extraordinary promise that carbon nano-tubes hold for transmitting electricity ballistically. There are so many new technologies that we have as a Nation great opportunity, great promise to invest in, but that's down the road. Right now, it is vitally important for our Nation's strategic security that we continue to find and develop every natural resource we can here in the United States. The Gulf of Mexico, our offshore waters has produced so much of this Nation's oil and gas. We're joined by our good friend Mr. Scalise from Louisiana; and since as the one controlling the time, if I could call on Mr. Scalise to verify, as I've heard it, 99.99 percent of the oil produced in the offshore waters of the United States has been produced cleanly, safely, without an incident, and this is the very first incident of its kind. Tragic and catastrophic as it is, it is the very first. It like an airplane falling out of a clear blue sky, and you would no more ground all aircraft if a plane fell out of the sky for no good reason than you would shut down all drilling And I would like to ask Mr. Scalise to join us and talk about the safety record of producing oil and gas safely and cleanly in offshore waters of the United States.

Mr. CULBERSON. Where are they located?

Mr. CULBERSON. The Obama administration has therefore shut down, Congressman Brady, all offshore permitting, all offshore drilling in all the continental waters of the United States. That's essentially where we are.

Mr. CULBERSON. Congressman Brady, I couldn't agree with you more. That is so well said. But I wanted to also make the point, Madam Speaker, make sure all Americans listening understand, Congressman Brady, that this moratorium is not just shutting down deepwater drilling. All of the companies that we have visited with, all of the industries that are involved with drilling and producing, finding, drilling, producing oil and gas in the offshore waters of the United States are telling us that this moratorium has had the effect of shutting down and stopping all permitting in shallow as well as deep water. Isn't that correct, Congressman Brady? Talk a little bit about that.

Mr. CULBERSON. Thank you, Mr. Brady. Thank you for the invitation, for putting together the roundtable with industries in the Houston area who are part of the oil and gas industry. We, in Houston, know that our city is to the energy industry what Silicon Valley is to the computer industry, and there are jobs, not just throughout southeast Texas and Louisiana but throughout the Nation, that are dependent on the oil and gas industry. We, as a Nation, are dependent upon the oil and gas produced in the Gulf of Mexico for--I've seen numbers as high as 80 percent of the oil that the United States--where does that 80 percent number come from, Kevin, of the oil and gas produced in the Gulf of Mexico? What percentage of the oil and gas consumed by the United States comes out of the Gulf of Mexico?

Mr. CULBERSON

Mr. CULBERSON. Is my colleague from Texas aware that this provision strips the Texas Legislature and the people of Texas of the power to make decisions at the State level?

Mr. CULBERSON. Mr. Speaker, one of the bedrock principles upon which this government was created was to provide for the common defense. Yet this Democrat majority was asked 5 months ago by the President to provide funding for the war. It's been 35 days since the United States Senate passed a straightforward, simple funding bill for the war, which all of us on the Republican side would have voted for without objection to support our men and women in the field. Yet today we've only got 90 minutes of debate for it. The United States, the public, the American people have only seen this bill since 11 this morning. I serve on the Appropriations Committee, none of the Republican members of this committee, none of the Republican staff members were included in the drafting of this bill. The United States of America, particularly our troops in the field, deserve far better than this. Is it any wonder that the public does not trust the government? Is it any wonder a tsunami is building that will sweep out this liberal majority in November and elect a constitutional conservative majority committed to fiscal responsibility, committed to preservation of our Constitution, committed to preservation of the States' rights to control something as fundamental as education spending? On Page 14 of this bill, which no one saw until 11 today, the State of Texas is stripped of its sovereign authority to control education spending. It's given--for the first time in this Nation's history, control over education spending in a sovereign State of the Union is given to the Federal Government by an amendment no one saw until 11 today, that the liberal majority is prepared to vote for, which will result in the destruction of the 10th Amendment sovereign power of the people of Texas, in big tax increases and spending increases, because this language says we can't spend any less than was spent in 2011, an artificially high number that will include ``spendulus'' money, leading to property tax increases, statewide tax increases in Texas. Why aren't we simply funding our troops in the field? This is why you'll lose the majority in November.

Mr. CULBERSON. And with my 30 seconds, I invite Ms. Jackson Lee to refer to page 14 of this bill. She may not be aware that this legislation gives control over Texas' education funding to the Federal Government and, in fact, will force tax increases and spending increases in Texas, and that this has never been done before for any State in the Union. And I want to make sure that she is aware of this provision that says that Texas cannot spend any less money on education than we are spending in the fiscal year 2011, which is going to include some stimulus money and result in tax increases for Texas, giving the Federal Government control over Texas' education spending. Was she aware of that?

Mr. CULBERSON. Would the gentlewoman yield?

Mr. CULBERSON

Mr. CULBERSON. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Dottie McLaughlin of United Space Alliance. On June 1, 2010, United Space Alliance will host a Retirement Dinner in Houston, Texas, honoring Dottie's exemplary career supporting America's Space Program. Dottie began her career supporting human space flight on May 1, 1984 at the NASA Johnson Space Center as a secretary, in the Mission Operations Training Division. She rapidly progressed in the Rockwell Space Operations Company to the position of executive assistant to the president and general manager. In April 1996, all Space Shuttle contracts were transferred to United Space Alliance. Dottie was instrumental in supporting a smooth transition to the new company and the merger of a 10,000-person workforce from 30 different contracts over the next 14 years. Dottie has served as executive assistant to all seven of United Space Alliance's chief executive officers, from Kent Black to Virginia A. Barnes, and has earned the respect of all she has encountered in this journey. Dottie represents the heart and soul of United Space Alliance. With her passion for human space flight, she has poured her energy into the successes that the Space Shuttle program has enjoyed. Through the success of the Space Station construction missions, the two Returns to Flight shuttle missions and early phases of Constellation, Dottie's strength of character fortifies those around her. To many, she represents the very best of the human space flight workforce, and she exemplifies the dedication and commitment to excellence of all those who support our Nation's space program. Dottie McLaughlin is committed to her country, her family and the welfare of the workers at United Space Alliance. Her passion for human space flight has earned her the deep respect of her colleagues in industry, NASA and the Congress. To quote Dottie, ``the most rewarding part of this job has always been the people. Helping the people, be they astronauts, technicians, politicians or fellow administrators, has fulfilled me in ways I could have never imagined. I am grateful for the role I have played in the Nation's space shuttle program over the years.'' I join Dottie McLaughlin's colleagues and friends in honoring her contribution and service to the Nation's space program.

Mr. CULBERSON

Mr. CULBERSON. Mr. Speaker and Members, born in Kentucky, Dr. William H. Smith has pastored Memorial Baptist Church in Arlington, Virginia, for the past 19 years. He preached his first sermon there on Father's Day, 1991, which was appropriate as he and his wife, Judy Bracewell Smith, who hails from my hometown of Houston, Texas, are the proud parents of Justin, a physician; Luke, a pastor; and Jason, a surgeon. His family also includes Justin's wife, Mairin, and their precious daughter, Adelaide, Bill and Judy's first grandchild. Bill's parents, Anna and Henry Smith, were powerful models of a Christian home for Bill and his brother, Andre. The students at the Leland Center for Theological Studies where he teaches biblical studies call him Professor. His granddaughter, Adelaide, calls him Pal. And I am proud to call him my teacher and friend. May God bless you always, Bill and Judy.