Lincoln Diaz-Balart

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Souder).

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I would like to reiterate again my gratitude both to Chairwoman Lowey and Ranking Member Granger of this appropriations subcommittee, and all of the members of the subcommittee. They have done great work. When Chairwoman Lowey appeared yesterday in the Rules Committee, it was really remarkable how on a bipartisan basis she received the commendation and admiration of all of us, and, quite frankly, I think in representation of the entire House. So I thank her. And she has a wonderful ranking member, Kay Granger, who also works extremely diligently in a way that has made the House also admire her deeply. I think we have had a good debate on the underlying legislation. I think it is most unfortunate that the tradition of two centuries of open debate on appropriations bills has been broken by the majority. And so, Mr. Speaker, I will be asking for a ``no'' vote on the previous question on this rule so that we can amend the rule and allow an open rule. The rule that the majority has brought forth today will only cement the dangerous and unnecessary precedent that it has already set. So let's have an open rule. Let's revert to tradition. Let's return to an open process. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to insert the text of my amendment and extraneous materials immediately prior to the previous question.

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. I urge all of my colleagues, and I am sure many of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle agree with us, that this unnecessary lessening of the House, this diminishing of each of the Members' rights is most unfortunate. And so we should return, as Ranking Member Lewis said before the Rules Committee last evening, let's return. There is still time, let's return to the tradition of two centuries and have an open rule. And we pledge, as Ranking Member Lewis did last night before the Rules Committee, full cooperation, consistent with that tradition, after debate has begun on these appropriations bills that still remain to be considered, to work out unanimous consent agreements to limit time and allow the process to be finished in a timely way. So let's return to that tradition of two centuries and preserve the rights of each of the Members of this House. I urge a ``no'' vote on the previous question in order to return to those two centuries of tradition, to return to open rules on appropriations bills. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Madam Speaker, it is my distinct pleasure and privilege to be able to welcome Pastor Alberto Delgado to the House of Representatives. Pastor Delgado and his wife, Mariam, also a wonderful religious leader, are pillars of strength, faith, and good works in south Florida. Their church, Alpha and Omega Church with more than 5,000 members, is a sanctuary which opens its doors to over 2,000 worshipers per service, with services in both English and Spanish. It is a place of miracles, where, as Pastor Delgado always reminds the faithful, everything is possible with faith and where the family and the word of God are revered. The ministries of Alpha and Omega Church have already spread to other States in this great and generous land, and to other countries as well, including Cuba, Guatemala, Argentina, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Belize. And the work of Pastor Delgado never stops. Welcome to the United States Congress, Alberto and Mariam. It is an honor to have you here. Thank you for all that you do.

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Madam Speaker, pursuant to the Republican Leadership standards on earmarks, I am submitting the following information for publication in the Congressional Record regarding earmarks I received as part of H.R. 2997--Agricultural, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations bill, Fiscal Year 2010. Requesting Member: Congressman Lincoln Diaz-Balart Bill number: H.R. 2997--Agricultural, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations bill, Fiscal Year 2010 Account: National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Research and Education Activities, Other Federal Administration Legal name of requesting entity: Southeast Climate Consortium Address of Requesting Entity: Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306 Description of Request: I have secured $2,494,000 for the Southeast Climate Consortium Application of Climate Forecasts in the Southeastern United States. The Consortium reduces economic risks and improves social well-being by providing climate information that is integral to agricultural decision-making. The program seeks to develop flood forecasting methods to help farmers and producers plan for reducing risks of economic losses and environmental damage; develop partnerships and methods for incorporating climate forecasts and other climate information into agricultural and water policy decisions; and begin development of a prototype decision support system for the application of climate forecasts to water resource management, especially for agricultural water use.

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Madam Speaker, pursuant to the Republican Leadership standards on earmarks, I am submitting the following information regarding earmarks I received as part of H.R. 2996--Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, Fiscal Year 2010. Requesting Member: Congressman Lincoln Diaz-Balart Bill Number: H.R. 2996--Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, Fiscal Year 2010 Account: U.S. Forest Service, Land Acquisition Legal Name of Requesting Entity: Florida National Scenic Trail Address of Requesting Entity: 5416 SW 13th Street, Gainesville, FL 32608 Description of Request: I have secured $500,000 to acquire critical and strategic holdings buffering or adjacent to Eglin Air Force Base, its flyways over the Northwest Florida Greenway, the National Forests in Florida and other Federal and State land.

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Madam Speaker, pursuant to the Republican Leadership standards on earmarks, I am submitting the following information regarding earmarks I received as part of H.R. 2647--National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010. Requesting Member: Congressman Lincoln Diaz-Balart Bill Number: H.R. 2647, National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010 Account: Military Construction Legal Name of Requesting Entity: United States Southern Command Address of Requesting Entity: City of Doral, Florida Description of Request: I have secured an authorization for $55.4 million for construction of a new headquarters for the U.S. Southern Command. Currently, the Department of Defense is leasing the land on which SOUTHCOM is now located from a private individual. The funds would be used by the Department of Defense to build the new SOUTHCOM headquarters adjacent to the current SOUTHCOM facility in Doral, Florida. The land for this facility will be leased from the State of Florida. SOUTHCOM received $100 million in the FY08 Military Construction Appropriations bill and $81.6 million in the FY09 Military Construction Appropriations bill as the first two installments of $237 million, previously authorized in the Military Construction Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008 (division B of Public Law 110- 181; 122 Stat. 504).

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. I would like to thank my friend, the gentlewoman from Maine (Ms. Pingree) for the time, and I yield myself such time as I may consume. While our men and women in uniform are risking their lives in war zones, we, in Congress, need to support them. I am proud to once again support the bipartisan National Defense Authorization Act to honor and support the brave men and women of the United States Armed Forces. I also wish to commend and congratulate both the Armed Services Committee Chairman Skelton and Ranking Member McKeon for their commitment to put partisanship aside in order to get this important bill to the floor. The National Defense Authorization Act, which passed unanimously out of the Armed Services Committee, authorizes $550.4 billion for the activities of the Department of Defense. It also provides $130 billion to support our combat operations in Iraq, Afghanistan and other fronts of the war on terror. Our men and women in uniform and their families have sacrificed dearly to protect the United States, and that is why I am pleased that the bill will provide our troops with a 3.4 percent pay raise. Furthering our commitment to our troops, the bill extends TRICARE eligibility to Reserve members so they can receive full TRICARE coverage 100 days before they go on active duty and provides almost $2 billion for family housing programs to expand and improve the quality of military housing. The bill authorizes the expansion of the size of the military by 15,000 Army troops, 8,000 Marines, over 14,500 Air Force personnel, and approximately 2,500 sailors in the Navy. I would like to thank the committee and the distinguished chairman for including my request for funding, authorization obviously of funding, for the construction of a new, permanent headquarters for the United States Southern Command that is located in the congressional district that I am honored to represent. Currently the Department of Defense is leasing the land for SOUTHCOM from a private individual. The funds authorized by this bill will be used to build a new headquarters on land adjacent to the current location and lease it from the State of Florida for the grand sum of $1 per year. This provision is extremely important to my community because SOUTHCOM personnel and supporting services have contributed over $1.2 billion and over 20,000 jobs to south Florida's economy. Mr. Speaker, while I support the underlying legislation, I have deep reservations about the majority's decision to block full restoration of missile defense funding. This comes as North Korea's demented despot continues to mock global condemnation of his nuclear program and threatens the United States and our friends and our allies with mass destruction. Just today an official from the North Korean Central News Agency, a mouthpiece for the dictatorship said, ``If the U.S. imperialists start another war, the army and the people of Korea will wipe out the aggressors on the globe once and for all.'' At the same time, the Iranian tyranny, while it massacres its own people in the streets, continues to threaten to wipe Israel off the face of the map. It is clear to me that the world faces a grave and, I believe, imminent threat from both of those dictatorships in North Korea and Iran. Now is not the time to cut missile defense. Since the beginning of military aviation, the United States has wisely invested in our military air superiority, and in recent military operations we have clearly seen our investments pay off. Our military air superiority saves the lives of our men and women in uniform and also saves the lives of countless civilians. Unfortunately, the Obama administration feels that it is not necessary to continue our long history of investment in air superiority and is calling for the termination of the F-22 fighter aircraft production, even though the chief of staff of the Air Force publicly called for continued production of F-22s. Now, thankfully, the Armed Services Committee successfully reinstated over $300 million to at least keep alive F-22 production. Unfortunately, I am shown at this time a statement of administration policy where it reads that if the final bill presented to the President contains this provision keeping alive the F-22 production line, that the President's senior advisers would recommend a veto. Mr. Speaker, I think that's most unfortunate. I am also concerned that the majority failed to support a repeal of the so-called widow's tax. This provision penalizes surviving spouses of servicemembers who die on active duty or from service-related conditions by forcing them to accept a dollar-for-dollar reduction in their military survivor benefit plan payments in order to receive tax- free dependency and indemnity compensation from the Department of Veterans Affairs. I have cosponsored two-pieces of legislation introduced by Mr. Buyer and Mr. Ortiz to remedy this injustice, and I am hopeful that Congress will soon address it. Now, as supportive as I am of the underlying legislation, I must oppose the rule brought forth by the majority. Prior to the consideration of the rule, Members from both sides of the aisle submitted 129 amendments to the Rules Committee. The vast majority of amendments, 79, were introduced by members of the majority party. Last night, the majority on the Rules Committee decided to make in order for discussion on this floor two-thirds of the majority amendments and one-third of the minority amendments. Last week, when members of the minority submitted a number of amendments to the Commerce, Justice, and Science Appropriations bill, the majority claimed the minority were using dilatory tactics and shut down the ability of Members to offer amendments. This week, when the majority party offered a large number of amendments, the majority rewarded them for doing their jobs and representing their constituents by allowing 51 of their amendments for debate by the House. At the same time, minority party members who were also representing the interests of their constituents were once again punished by the majority for doing their jobs and were only allowed 11 amendments. In the end, the majority gets about five times the number of amendments made in order as the minority, and I think that's unfair. I think it's petty and unfair. What does the majority gain by using such an unfair process? In reality, nothing more than ending comity and diminishing the stature of this House and its Members. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Mr. Speaker, it is my privilege to yield 3 minutes to the distinguished Republican whip, the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Cantor).

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Will the gentleman yield?

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I simply wanted to point out to my friend that despite the fact that we support the committee having maintained the production line for the F-22, we made a motion in committee for an open rule that would have permitted the gentleman's amendment.

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. I will yield.

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. I thank the gentleman for his debate. Despite the fact that we're in disagreement on this issue, he is a great parliamentarian and it's an honor to serve with him. At this time, I yield 3 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Washington (Mr. Hastings).

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentlewoman from Illinois (Mrs. Biggert).

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Texas (Mr. Conaway).

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to my friend, the distinguished gentleman from Georgia, Dr. Broun.

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Flake).

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. I thank my friend from Maine and I thank you, Mr. Speaker, for your courtesy, and I want to thank all who have come to participate in this debate. This legislation enjoys extraordinarily wide bipartisan support. It's unfortunate that the rule that brings it to the floor is not fair. As I pointed out, it makes about two-thirds of the amendments that were introduced to the Rules Committee from the majority party in order and only about one-third of the amendments presented or introduced, proposed for debate by Members of the minority party. That's not fair. And it maintains a pattern that obviously we have seen deepened, augmented significantly in a very worrisome way in the appropriations process, where for the first time all of the appropriations bills are being brought to the floor under restrictive rules. We have had significant debate, but that's something that is also unfair and unfortunate, and it diminishes the rights of each of the Members of this House. So I do think it's important we get to debate on legislation, in this case, this authorization of the Armed Forces legislation that enjoys such widespread bipartisan support. So once again, opposing the rule and opposing the previous question, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. The Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the so-called ``supreme leader,'' is the ruthless dictator of Iran. Ahmadinejad is his puppet. In this farcical election, Khamenei overstepped blatantly. The others in the dictatorship who aspired to the puppet presidency are upset. The Iranian people are utilizing this moment of division in the dictatorship to heroically express their opposition to the dictatorship. The issue is not one of who is entitled to be the puppet president in the Iranian dictatorship. The issue is the Iranian people are entitled to an end of the dictatorship and to live in self- determination and freedom and democracy. The President of the United States has been silent and confused. The Congress of the United States clearly stands with the Iranian people, and they will prevail.

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. I rise today to congratulate my friend Rolando Ochoa, vice president and branch manager of the Sunny Isles branch of BankUnited, upon earning a Doctor of Business Administration from Nova Southeastern University in South Florida. As part of the program, Dr. Ochoa completed a grueling program of at least 68 credit hours in difficult disciplines. Although already greatly respected for his career in the banking industry, Rolando Ochoa has continued to deepen his knowledge of business and the banking industry. His admirable pursuit of excellence in his field will be of great assistance to our South Florida community. On Saturday, Dr. Ochoa will graduate from Nova Southeastern, having been granted his doctorate. It is my privilege and honor to congratulate you, Dr. Rolando Ochoa, on this great achievement. I know that your dedication to excellence will continue to serve our community well.