Russ Carnahan

Mr. CARNAHAN

Mr. CARNAHAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pledge my unwavering support of our troops, and of our efforts to fight terrorism around the world. However, I rise in strong opposition to the Bush administration's handling of the war and reconstruction in Iraq, as well as the Republican controlled Congress's inadequate oversight of the administration's policies. The International Relations Committee, on which I sit, has held only two hearings this year regarding Iraq--a woefully insufficient number. The committee and this Congress should be functioning more like the bipartisan Truman Commission did in the 1940s--a pro-troop, pro- taxpayer, pro-American committee that conducted serious and meaningful oversight to ensure that our troops were supported and our tax dollars used wisely. That commission focused on two things: first, prewar and ongoing day- to-day operations of World War II ``with a view toward exposing deficiencies so that corrective action could be applied''; second, it focused on postwar activities, including investigations of excess profits, fraud, mismanagement, and inefficiencies. It is irresponsible for this Congress to not investigate the President's lack of an exit strategy, and the fraud, waste, and abuse of U.S. tax dollars. Mr. Speaker, it is not only our constitutional obligation to provide real and meaningful oversight into the Bush administration's policies in Iraq, it is our patriotic duty to question the President's mishandling of this war and reconstruction.

Mr. CARNAHAN

Mr. CARNAHAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Eugene Slay, a fine member of the St. Louis Community in my home state of Missouri. Mr. Slay is the son of immigrant grandparents, who came from Lebanon to settle in the city of Saint Louis. In 1920, Gene's grandfather, John Slay, created Slay Industries, a shipping company that has been a great addition to the area's proud legacy of transportation commerce. Gene Slay gathered the reins of the institution in 1952, and ever since has blazed the corporation down a path of success, currently employing more than 800 persons and deriving an annual revenue of more than $100 million. Of course, Gene Slay has not only been an effective and outstanding leader in business, but in the St. Louis community as well, giving his time to help those less fortunate. Gene Slay has always committed himself to activities that strive to give every person a chance to succeed. Specifically, I would like to recognize his work as an exceptional director of the Boys' Club of St. Louis. Mr. Slay has served as a member of the institution's Executive Board for 33 years and as its president for 14 years. Gene Slay has been a vital asset to the Boys' Club, building its endowment to $4.4 million, allowing the organization to be a helping hand to more than 5,000 youth. With these accomplishments in mind, I am proud to recognize Gene Slay as a prominent St. Louisan and I thank him for his efforts in our community. It is my great honor to announce that the Boys' Club of St. Louis will now be renamed the Gene Slay's Boys' Club of St. Louis, to acknowledge all of Mr. Slay's hard work and dedication. I congratulate Gene Slay on this honor and praise him for all the young people that he has helped and will help in the future.

Mr. CARNAHAN

Mr. CARNAHAN. Mr. Speaker, it is beginning to sound like a broken record around here: another week of record high gas prices, another Republican bill that benefits oil companies without helping consumers. Five years of Republicans' failed energy policies have resulted in Americans paying twice as much at the pump as they did in 2001, while big oil companies make triple the profits. To distract Americans from this fact, Republicans have put forth the pro-oil company bills like the current Refinery Permit Process Schedule Act which they claim will lower fuel costs for consumers by allowing oil companies to drill more freely. Instead, the bill simply offers yet another needless handout to large oil companies in the form of weakened local regulation where any local public health and environmental concern could be ignored. Mr. Speaker, instead of taking initiative and moving forward with real solutions to the growing fuel crisis in our country, Republicans offer more of the same. This is just another handout to Big Oil, which is exactly what got us into this mess. Democrats have put forth a real plan for energy independence by 2020. Americans know it is time for a change.

Mr. CARNAHAN

Mr. CARNAHAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of House Resolution 626, congratulating Albert Pujols of the St. Louis Cardinals on being named the Most Valuable Player in the National League for the 2005 Major League Baseball season. As you know, Mr. Speaker, we recently passed a companion resolution, House Resolution 627, congratulating his teammate, Chris Carpenter, for winning the National League Cy Young Award. This marks the first time since 1968 that the Cardinals have won both an MVP and Cy Young Award in the same year. Albert Pujols came to spring training in 2001 as a 13th round draft choice. Not only did he make the St. Louis Cardinals opening day roster that year, but he won a starting job and went on to win the National League Rookie of the Year Award. The first 5 years of his career rank among the best in baseball history. He has a career .332 batting average, 201 home runs and 621 runs batted in. He is the only player in the history of the major leagues to have a batting average higher than .300, hit 30 or more home runs, drive in 100 or more runs, and score 100 or more runs in each of his first five seasons. During the 2005 season, Albert Pujols led the Cardinals with a batting average of .330, 41 home runs, 117 runs batted in, and 16 stolen bases. He was a major factor in the Cardinals' 100-win season and run to the National League championship series. Albert Pujols is truly a champion on and off the field. He and his wife, Diedre, have three children, a son named Albert, Jr., a daughter named Sophia and a daughter Isabella who has Downs Syndrome. In 2005 they started the Pujols Family Foundations which is dedicated to the love, care and development of people with Downs Syndrome and also reaches out to impoverished families in the Dominican Republic, Albert's native country. As a lifelong Cardinals fan and St. Louis resident, it is an absolute joy to watch Albert Pujols on and off the field. He embodies the true spirit of Cardinal Nation, and I offer my most sincere congratulations on all that he has accomplished thus far, and wish him the best in the future, including recovering from his recent injuries. Mr. Speaker, I think the spirit that he brings to baseball and that has captured this country is also reflected in the numerous Members of this Congress, not just from St. Louis, not just from the State of Missouri, but from around the country and both sides of the aisle that joined in sponsoring this resolution of congratulations.

Mr. CARNAHAN

Mr. CARNAHAN. Madam Speaker, with Memorial Day approaching, it would be nice if the Republican-controlled House had actually done something about gas prices that continue to hover about $3 a gallon. Over the past 5 years, we have seen gas prices double what they were when President Bush took office. American families are now spending about $1,500 more a year on transportation than they did 5 years ago. Gas prices are taking a big bite out of American family budgets. And yet for 5 years, Washington Republicans have chosen to pad the pockets of Big Oil rather than provide real relief to consumers or sufficient resources for alternative energy. Last year they signed an energy bill into law that was nothing more than a $20 billion gift to Big Oil. It is no wonder that Big Oil continues to reap record profits, including nearly $30 billion for the six largest oil companies in the first quarter of this year alone. House Republicans are unwilling to provide real relief to American consumers because of their cozy relationship with Big Oil. Despite what Republicans claim this week, drilling in ANWR is not a solution to our energy crisis.

Mr. CARNAHAN

Mr. CARNAHAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize it has been 1 year since this House passed H.R. 810, the Stem Cell Research and Enhancement Act, and still there is no action by the Senate. Stem cell research holds the promise of cures for many diseases. Removing the Bush administration's limits will expand research and support the hopes of millions of Americans who work every day to survive under the burden of a life-altering diagnosis. Science, not politics, should determine the future of this vital research. The House passed H.R. 810 with extraordinary bipartisan effort, and most believe there is a bipartisan group in the Senate of well over 60 votes to pass this bill. And still there is no action in the Senate. We stand here with the tools in our hands to ease the pain of so many across this country and around the world. If we don't tap into this potential, we will never know what it can yield. To forego potentially lifesaving cures is simply immoral. It is time for the Senate to act on lifesaving cures.

Mr. CARNAHAN

Mr. CARNAHAN. We have also been joined by our colleague, Congresswoman Schwartz from Pennsylvania. And welcome. It is great for you to be with us tonight.

Mr. CARNAHAN. It certainly is. And we have all had the stark awakening as we fill our tanks each week. I am reminded, as you were talking about President Bush, in his State of the Union Address in this very Chamber, he told the Nation that our country was addicted to oil. He also said that this administration was committed to reducing our dependence on foreign oil. But then the very next day, the President's own Energy Secretary was back-pedaling on the President's promises. The President's solution in his budget was to end our dependence on foreign oil with just paltry, really crumbs, from our budget. Our budget is a document that sets our national priorities, and a mere $130 million was set aside for all, for all renewable energy programs. Not only is this increase in renewable energy programs insufficient, the President proposed to eliminate research on other renewables, including geothermal and hydropower. As reported in the Atlanta Journal Constitution in February, the total proposed increase in clean energy research is equal to just 7 percent of ExxonMobil's profit for the fourth quarter of 2005. So while big oil companies are recording record profits, the Bush administration is showing limited increases in funding for renewable energy. In fact, his budget would not get renewable energy efficiency back even to where it was at the end of the Clinton administration, this at a time when gas prices are squeezing the American families. President Bush's budget should reflect the needs of all Americans. It should be a budget that supports programs to end independence from oil and not one that encourages it. The energy provisions in this budget do not meet the needs of our country, and this budget should be defeated. I am pleased to be joined here tonight by my good friend and colleague and fellow Missourian, Emanuel Cleaver.

Mr. CARNAHAN. And I loved your top ten.

Mr. CARNAHAN. It is really exciting that we not only have the ability to grow the corn, to produce ethanol, and soybeans, to produce biodiesel, but we also have our auto industry retooling, and I want to yield to my friend Congressman Cleaver to tell about some exciting things happening in his area in Kansas City.

Mr. CARNAHAN. Thank you. I just want to say I am so proud to be one of the new Democrats in the House and be here with you all tonight. I was listening to you and thinking about our freshman class, and particularly the Democrats involved. Almost all of them came from prior experience in the State government, in the State legislatures, like Congresswoman Schwartz, and I know Congresswoman Wasserman Schultz was also in the State legislature, and Congressman Cleaver was Mayor in Kansas City, a lot of experience. And we all had to work with our State and local budgets and be fiscally responsible, the same way that many of our American families have to be with their household budgets. And the way that priorities have been set in this budget are so skewed from what the average people in this country need. And probably one of the best examples of that is the energy bill that we passed. And I know all of us voted against it here on the floor tonight. At a time when we provided $14 billion in tax breaks to the big oil companies, and weeks later, just weeks later, they announced the biggest profits in the history of the world. And now we see the prices at the pump, we continue to pay. Again, very, very misplaced priorities.

Mr. CARNAHAN. If I could interject and amplify on that, I think the process has been very disingenuous when we do know we are going to have ongoing expenses for disaster relief, ongoing expenses for the ongoing efforts in fighting terrorism overseas. And it really, I think, is an effort to separate those questions from really making proper budget choices, and do we want to have more tax cuts for the wealthy and pay for that versus the cost of rebuilding the gulf? Or paying for our military or our education or our Medicare program? I think that really is kind of an accounting gimmick that we have seen throughout this process, to play down a lot of those serious expenses, but also to water down the quality of the debate.

Mr. CARNAHAN. Mr. Speaker, the cynicism is layer upon layer, but here is the other cynical part of this. They are also using, the Republicans and the Bush administration, this as an excuse to say, well, now, we need to go drill in Alaska, in wilderness areas, and now we need to drill offshore in many of our reserved areas off our States along our coast. Those would not be available for years. They are a small fraction of production that we need, and if we would just channel that money back into true, aggressive investing in research and getting transitioned to a new economy with alternative fuel, ethanol, biodiesel fuels that we can grow and produce in the Midwest, instead of depending on the Middle East, our economy would be so much stronger. It would produce jobs. It would be a cleaner environment, and it would truly lessen our dependence on foreign oil.

Mr. CARNAHAN. Mr. Speaker, I am glad to be here in the House tonight and be joined by some of our colleagues in the freshman Democratic class that was elected in 2004. I believe my colleague, Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz from Florida, is going to stay on and talk with us a little bit tonight, and we expect to be joined by some other of our colleagues to talk about the continued direction of our country and, in particular, this budget and tax plan that has been put before this Congress by President Bush and congressional Republicans. I really want to rise and express my deep, deep concern about this budget. The cuts in programs across the board, no other word can be given, but they are staggering. This budget does not provide for the average American. It continues to line the pockets of the wealthiest Americans. Like so many of the President's priorities, this budget is a misplaced opportunity to actually effect positive change for our citizens. I would like to draw particular attention to the energy provisions in this budget. Last week, the AP reported that the average cost of a gallon of regular, unleaded gasoline was $2.92, up 35 cents from just a month ago. Moreover, U.S. drivers are now paying about 14 percent more to fill their tanks than just 1 year ago. Recent polls show that over 65 percent of Americans are suffering from financial hardship due to rising gas prices. But we don't need a poll to tell us that when we fill our tanks. Debbie, you told us earlier, like many of us, we go to fill up our tank of gas, and it is nothing to pay $50 or more to fill our tank of gas, just to do our routine chores and drive around town where we live.

Mr. CARNAHAN. I have to add, by the way, you have great graphs.

Mr. CARNAHAN

Mr. CARNAHAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, this has been a real pleasure to cosponsor this with several Members from around the country and on both sides of the aisle. I want to offer House Resolution 627, congratulating Chris Carpenter of the St. Louis Cardinals on winning the Cy Young Award for the 2005 Major League Baseball season. Chris is a 1992 graduate from Trinity High School in Manchester, New Hampshire, where he earned the athlete of the year honors as a senior. He was elected to the All State Team for 3 years in both baseball and hockey, and as a member of the Globe All Scholastic Team as a senior, captured the State championship in baseball in 1992. He played American Legion, Babe Ruth, and Little League Baseball. Chris and his wife have two children, and they make their off-season home in Bedford, Massachusetts. We are proud that he is one of the star players, not just in the league but for the St. Louis Cardinals. After missing the 2003 season recovering from shoulder surgery, many wondered how Chris Carpenter would respond. He responded in 2004 with a 15-win season and with an earned run average of 3.46. Through his hard work, perseverance and skill, he improved upon those lofty numbers and turned in a spectacular 21-win season with a 2.83 earned run average in the 2005 season. He was a major factor in the Cardinals' 100 wins last year and earned a place among the most elite pitchers in baseball. For his feats, Carpenter was recognized with the Cy Young Award as the best pitcher in the National League. As a lifelong Cardinals fan, it is an absolute joy to watch a thrilling player like Chris Carpenter. I look forward to watching his continued success. In addition, I would like to mention Chris's teammate, Albert Pujols, who won the National League MVP last year. This marks the first time since 1968 that the Cardinals have had both the MVP and the Cy Young Award winner the same year. I have cosponsored a companion resolution with many others in this House congratulating Albert Pujols, and I hope the House will have an opportunity to take that up in the near future. Once again, I wish my heartiest congratulations to Chris Carpenter and all that he has accomplished and wish him the best in the future. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CARNAHAN

Mr. CARNAHAN. Mr. Speaker, Republican policies continue in this Congress to favor the wealthy over middle-income Americans and without regard to the budget deficit that is expected this year to reach $370 billion. In the Senate late last year, they had the good sense, common sense to block extension of special tax cuts. The argument was that they should not be extending these cuts to benefit the wealthy while our lawmakers were advancing a broad budget-cutting bill that mainly targeted programs for the poor such as Medicaid and welfare. Our ranking Democrat on the Senate Budget Committee said, ``You talk about completely detached from reality. That's this place.'' Well, Mr. Speaker, on Tuesday, the AP reported that the average cost of unleaded gasoline was $2.92, up 35 cents from a month ago. Moreover, U.S. drivers are now paying about 14 percent more to fill their tanks than a year ago. The energy bill passed by this Congress last year was a multibillion dollar giveaway to big oil companies. It picked the pockets of the American people and helped line the pockets of Big Oil. Those taxpayer funded special breaks for Big Oil could have much better been used for funding alternative fuels and getting us weaned off our dependence on foreign fossil fuels. Despite the failure of this policy, the Republican tax bill gives even more to the big oil companies. It is time we stopped subsidizing the big oil companies who have made not just record profits but the biggest profits in the history of the world. This is why I rise in strong support of the motion to instruct, and I commend my colleague, Mr. Larson from Connecticut, for offering it. This motion would make three very important changes to close tax loopholes that are lining the pockets of Big Oil. First, it would eliminate accounting gimmicks that allow Big Oil to artificially inflate costs and reduce profits, thus reducing their tax liability, and continue on this course of record profits at the American public's expense. Second, it would close the loophole that gives oil companies a tax break for taxes they pay for doing business in foreign countries. And finally, the motion also eliminates the tax break for accelerating depreciation for oil companies that was given to them in the energy bill. The Larson motion would eliminate a 2-year amortization treatment for certain expenditures, treatment that is wholly inconsistent with the way this type of expenditure would be treated by other businesses. It is not fair to other American businesses, Mr. Speaker. Even the Bush administration has acknowledged this is excessive. It is time we end the Republican policy of giveaways to Big Oil, and I urge my colleagues to support the Larson motion.

Mr. CARNAHAN

Mr. CARNAHAN. Madam Speaker, I rise In strong support today of the Iran Freedom Support Act because this bill shows our undisputed commitment to addressing the situation in Iran. We have seen the potential effects of international inaction in this type of situation. The regional security in the Middle East cannot be further compromised by an Iranian loose cannon. There is little doubt that Iran is on a mission to rebuild its nuclear weapons and use that capability to wreak havoc and destruction on Israel and others throughout the world. Without action, we are going to continue to allow Iran to be a safe harbor for terrorists, see its economy further deteriorate, and see the Middle East further destabilize. This bill includes the necessary tools for the U.S. to help prevent Iran from pursuing nuclear and other weapons programs, deny them the resources they need to support terrorism, and stop them from oppressing the Iranian people.

Mr. CARNAHAN

Mr. CARNAHAN. Madam Speaker, despite rising college tuition costs and rigid standards of the so-called No Child Left Behind Act, the Republican budget makes the largest cuts to education in 10 years. It cuts $15 billion from education that was promised: 3.7 million children in our country will be denied help with reading and math; 2 million will be denied after-school programs that offer a safe place to play and learn. But the majority does not stop with just broken promises. Their budget eliminates funding for Safe and Drug-Free Schools, eliminates funding for vocational education, eliminates programs that help ensure high-risk students can attend college, and eliminates 36 programs that help teachers and students succeed. They drastically cut Pell Grants and Perkins loans that American families need to help afford college. Republicans are risking our children's future to pay for more tax breaks for the wealthy few. The promise to our children's education must be kept. This budget must be rejected.

Mr. CARNAHAN

Mr. CARNAHAN. Mr. Speaker, since the new Medicare prescription drug plan took effect at the beginning of this year, Members of this body have heard from thousands of frustrated seniors struggling with the confusing and poorly written plan. Now they are dealt a new blow: seniors who don't register in time will be forced to pay a penalty for the rest of their lives. Most seniors have yet to choose a prescription drug plan, many because they are unable to navigate the complex system, others because they are currently not taking any medication. For every month after May 15, seniors who have not enrolled will be charged an extra 1 percent of the payment of any plan they eventually do choose, for the rest of their lives. This new tax on prescription drugs is yet another example of how this Republican plan was written to benefit large drug companies, not the Medicare recipients who need the help. Democrats are fighting to extend this deadline. Our seniors should not be penalized with a lifetime surcharge for doing their research on these plans.

Mr. CARNAHAN

Mr. CARNAHAN. Mr. Speaker, the Bush administration's deal with the United Arab Emirates showed the American people again that securing our ports is not their priority. The bipartisan and unanimous 9/11 Commission report clearly showed the need for increased security for our Nation's ports. Now 4 years after 9/11, less than 10 percent of the 9 million containers entering our ports are ever screened. Even worse, Republicans in this House have fought Democratic efforts to increase port security funding. In 2003, this House voted to kill a Democratic amendment to add $250 million for port security grants; then again, in 2005, against a Democratic proposal calling for an additional $400 million in funding for port security. For the record, let me say, my constituents in St. Louis, Jefferson County, and Ste. Genevieve County, Missouri, understand right from wrong. They, like all Americans, demand action from this Congress that is long overdue, and they will not go along with any deal compromising our national security. The American people have every right to be outraged with the administration's approval of the UAE port deal. It is time the people's House make the security of our Nation's ports a priority.

Mr. CARNAHAN

Mr. CARNAHAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 1728, the Ste. Genevieve County National Historic Site Study Act of 2005. This bill will authorize the Secretary of the Interior to study the feasibility of designating areas within Ste. Genevieve County, Missouri, as a unit of the National Park System. This study is important to the area, as it will help preserve the great history in the region. Ste. Genevieve's historical significance derives from French colonial settlement in Missouri. It was an outpost of the French empire and demonstrates France's efforts to colonize the central region of North America. Today, Ste. Genevieve remains steeped in French tradition, both culturally and architecturally. The historic region in Ste. Genevieve has a rich collection of resources, including a significant number of 18th century French colonial structures. Included in the proposed site study are two of the only five remaining vertical log houses known to survive in North America. Built around 1800, each stands together on their original sites, standing as a reflection of our history, which needs to be preserved for our future. In addition to these two homes, historic downtown Ste. Genevieve, as well as a common field used by French settlers, known as Le Grand Champ, are further examples of the history and tradition that exists in Ste. Genevieve County. This bill is important because the study will not only ensure the preservation of local colonial history, but it will result in economic development from increased tourism and entrepreneurship. I'd like to thank Chairman Pombo and Ranking Member Rahall for their work on this bill. I would also like to thank my colleague and co- sponsor, Congresswoman Emerson for her support.

Mr. CARNAHAN

Mr. CARNAHAN. Mr. Speaker, as this body prepares to adjourn for the year, we have an opportunity to look back at what the people's House has done for the American people. The answer, when it comes to addressing skyrocketing energy prices, is not much, especially for those most in need. As winter weather settles in around the country, millions of American families are facing skyrocketing home heating prices with even greater impact if cold temperatures persist into the spring. Americans are also feeling the effects of soaring energy prices at the gas pump. The double burden of these added expenses will be far too much for many families. Rather than taking the opportunity to address these costs for those most in need, the Republican leadership instead gave billions of dollars in tax breaks to those who need it least, big oil and gas companies that have posted not just record profits but the largest profits in the history of the world. Mr. Speaker, Congress should not leave this year without repealing those tax breaks for big oil and converting the savings to low-income and senior Americans that need the help the most.

Mr. CARNAHAN

Mr. CARNAHAN. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to be an original cosponsor of the ``Meth'' Remediation and Research Act as it will aid our local law enforcement, environmental regulatory, and health care officials in coping with ``meth'' abuse by providing voluntary guidelines to clean up and remediate the highly toxic chemicals that are used to make the drug. The harmful effects of contamination are not fully recognized and first responders, future inhabitants, and sadly, children are at risk of developing health problems--this legislation seeks to remedy this problem. I am tremendously sensitive to the problem of ``meth'' abuse due to it's widespread emergence in my district. Last year my home state of Missouri had the unfortunate distinction of being the number one state in the country, by more than double, for methamphetamine laboratory seizures. Furthermore, Jefferson County, which resides in my congressional district, has the most seizures and arrests related to ``meth'' in the state of Missouri. I applaud the Science Committee's bipartisan leadership for addressing this growing problem and doing their utmost to move this legislation.

Mr. CARNAHAN

Mr. CARNAHAN. Mr. Speaker, due to technical problems, my vote in favor of H.J. Res. 72 on Thursday, November 17 (rollcall No. 599) was not recorded. I was, in fact, present for this vote and did vote in favor of the resolution.