Jeff Duncan

Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina

Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina. Folks in South Carolina are concerned about where we are with energy in this country. Energy independence is something that's on the minds of folks back home. You know, I drive a diesel truck, and the gentleman from Ohio was talking about diesel fuel just recently. When I was at the fuel pump recently fueling my truck with diesel fuel, I was paying about $3.85 a gallon. It dawned on me, as I watched the 18-wheelers roll by coming from the pumps where they filled up, that if we were able to really achieve American energy independence and we were able to lower the cost at the pump for America's truckers and all of America's families--but I use trucking as an example. If we could truly lower the cost of diesel fuel for America's truckers by just $1, if we could produce enough American energy resources to lower diesel fuel from that $3.85 a gallon that I was paying down to $2.85 a gallon--those 18-wheelers that were rolling by I believe had 400-gallon diesel tanks. Think about that, America. Think about if that truck or that trucking company was able to save $400 per fill-up for that 18-wheeler, and think about the number of trucks you pass on America's interstates and highway systems. If we could save that, think about the trickle-down effect that that would have for consumer products. We're not just talking about gasoline and diesel fuel. The American hydrocarbons that are produced when they're refined, they're refined into a lot of different products. And I would ask folks to research what a barrel of hydrocarbon or fossil fuel, oil, when you put that under extreme pressure, the heat created, how it separates out and all the different products that come from a barrel of oil. It's an amazing component that God has given us. In South Carolina, we understand that the Nation can achieve American energy independence; but we also understand that if we can't have American energy independence, why not an all-American energy strategy where we work with our neighbors to the north, our largest and best trading partner, the Canadians, or we work with the Mexicans and the folks to the south with a transboundary agreement; allow that area where the boundary between Mexico and the United States is, that we can drill in that area and we have an agreement for revenue sharing on the oil produced there. But let's go back to our neighbors in the north, our largest and best trading partner. The former speaker of the house from South Carolina, David Wilkins, was Ambassador to Canada under the Bush administration. I spent a lot of time with Speaker Wilkins, Ambassador Wilkins, and we talked about Canada and we talked about the oil sands. This was before the Keystone XL pipeline. But let's focus on the Keystone XL pipeline to bring that Canadian oil to American refineries that are sitting there with the capacity to refine that Canadian oil. What do I mean by capacity? It's idle capacity. It's capacity that could be utilized to refine American resources or Canadian resources coming down to those refineries, refining that into the products that we enjoy as America. That's why the Keystone XL pipeline is so important. Let's put Americans to work. We hear a lot about job creation and putting Americans to work. Well, this truly would. Mr. Speaker, this Keystone XL pipeline would put Americans to work in those refineries, refining that oil into all the chemicals and gasoline products and everything that we use out of a barrel of hydrocarbons or a barrel of oil. The Keystone pipeline is something that should happen in this country. The opponents on the other side say: Well, that oil is just going to flow from Canada. It's going to flow through the United States. It's going to go to our refineries. But those contracts have been let, and that oil and those gasoline products are going to be used in other markets. It will not do anything to affect the price at the pump here. That's what the other side says. Here's a simple economic example: It's supply and demand. Global demand is high right now, and the supply is low. The supply is low for a lot of reasons: the OPEC cartel and other things. Policies, moratoriums, and other things from this administration keep global supply down. Let's assume that the oil from Canada does flow through the United States, refined at our refineries, and does flow out of this country. So what? That increased supply will meet the increased demand. And by meeting that demand, that will drive the price down, not only for Americans, but for everyone across the globe. It's the right thing to do to put Americans to work to refine that oil into those products at American refineries. It's true job creation. While we're on the subject of job creation, Mr. Speaker, and the gentleman that's heading up the House Energy Action Team, which is focused on an all-American energy strategy and American energy independence, while we're talking about job creation, let's talk about my State of South Carolina. We've been excluded in the next 5-year plan, the plan that would allow offshore drilling off our coast on the Outer Continental Shelf. Right now, folks, the whole Atlantic shelf is off limits to drilling, with the exception of a very proactive State of Virginia, which has been able to include Virginia's offshore area in the next 5-year plan. We'll see if that comes to fruition. But South Carolina is sitting there saying, with a lot of the other Atlantic States, We believe we have some resources off our coast. We believe there's natural gas off the coast of South Carolina. Let's allow South Carolina's offshore area to be included in the next 5-year plan. What does that mean? Does that mean we're going to rush right out there and punch a hole in the Earth and start producing? Maybe; maybe not. What it does mean is that it allows that exploration. It allows those energy companies to say: You know what? That area is going to be opened up. We haven't explored out there in 30 years. It was 30-year- old technology when we went out there before. Let's go out there with new technology. Let's find out what sort of resources might be off the coast of South Carolina on the Outer Continental Shelf of the Atlantic seaboard. Let's go out there. Let's find out what might be there, and let's start producing that. You know what happens when we do start producing? I just ask you to drive down to Louisiana and get on Highway 90 from Lafayette down to New Iberia and down to Houma and Thibodaux and those areas. You get on that four-lane highway, Mr. Johnson, and you ride down that highway, on both sides of the four-lane highway, business after business after business after business after business--and I could go on and on. These are businesses that aren't out there actually doing the drilling because those lease sales were to ExxonMobil or Halliburton or some of those companies. These are the service companies that are servicing offshore drilling. Think about this for a minute. Think about the guys that are using the barges and the offshore boats that carry the service boats that are taking the drilling mud and the casing and the piping and the diesel fuel for the generators and the food and the personnel and everything else that goes offshore out to the platform. Then think about this: they're companies on shore. They're running trucks up and down the road that need truck repair; they need body repair. We need pipe welders and pipe fitters. Like I said, business after business after business there in Louisiana is helping the offshore industry. And South Carolina is sitting there going, Well, you know what? If we allowed drilling offshore and we allowed this to happen on the Outer Continental Shelf, then maybe those businesses would come to South Carolina--the service boats, the drilling mud, the providers of the onshore pipe fitters and pipe boilers. And you know what? Those guys have to eat. And so they fill up the local restaurants and they shop at the local Piggly Wiggly. And guess what. They give to the United Way and they give to the local church, and it's a trickle-down economy when you've got people working and you've people creating businesses and providing income to an economy. When we think about an all-American, energy-independent energy structure, we need to think about all of the jobs that are created through that American energy independence; and it's not just the guys that are doing the offshore drilling, and it's not just the guys that are doing the hydraulic fracturing here. That is a tremendous component, and it's working in Pennsylvania, and should be working in southern New York. It's working in Ohio. It's producing resources. When we talk about energy, we focus a lot right now on North Dakota. North Dakota, my gosh, it's a microcosm of what we could be in this country if we truly pursued an American energy policy. North Dakota, 3 percent unemployment or less. Some say it's a negative unemployment. I say, when you get off an airplane in North Dakota, they give you a job whether you need one or not. You talk about a lack of housing; they don't have housing for people coming up there to take the jobs. If you need a job in America and you're willing to travel to North Dakota, you can go up and get $70,000 a year driving a water truck. Jobs are created. North Dakota, a microcosm of what we could be in this country if we truly pursued an all-American energy policy, and that includes hydraulic fracturing. That includes drilling on Federal land that is currently off-limits to energy exploration, energy production, but it's also off-limits to wind and solar. Federal land that you own--America. The American taxpayers own this Federal land, and it ought to be utilized to the maximum benefit for American taxpayers. Folks, we can reduce our fuel prices at the pump. We can reduce your prices for electricity at home, and that's through an American energy policy that's truly all of the above. And so I appreciate the gentleman from Ohio leading this leadership hour, giving me an opportunity to speak about something that I am very passionate about, and that is an all-American energy policy that produces resources here, lessens our dependence on the Middle East, lessens our dependence on the OPEC cartel, truly trades with our neighbors to the north and the south, and approaches true independence.

Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina

Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina. Madam Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina. Madam Chair, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina. Madam Chair, this Nation's debt now stands in excess of $16 trillion. This is an amount of debt greater than our Nation's economy, exceeding our GDP, and yet, Madam Chair, we have on the floor today legislation which piles upon our children and grandchildren even greater burdens of debt. Madam Chair, it's time to end the credit card economics. We simply cannot afford to continue to spend money that we're borrowing from countries like China on line items that we don't need and that Congress isn't constitutionally authorized to spend. Madam Chair, my amendment strips one such line item out of this bill. This is really low hanging fruit. You see, this Sandy relief effort was plussed up, or increased, by $1 million to boost Legal Services Corporation, funding masquerading as disaster relief. And I thought we had a ban on earmarks in this Congress. Why is a bailout for New York lawyers emergency hurricane relief? Even if you believe this is a legitimate government program--which I don't, by the way--but how can you argue with a straight face that spending on lawyers is legitimate emergency spending? Madam Chair, let me say again, we're $16 trillion in debt. We're $16 trillion in debt, America. We simply cannot afford to continue like this. We cannot keep spending money that we don't have on things that we can't afford and all the while sending our children and our grandchildren the bill. What part of $16 trillion in debt do you all not understand? I sincerely hope that my colleagues will take this opportunity to start to get serious about reining in our spending addiction. This amendment is a tiny step in that direction. It's only $1 million. A million dollars is brushed off as not a lot of money to haggle over here in Congress, but let me tell you, $1 million is a lot of money to the average American. But in this House, that's barely a blip on the radar screen. This amendment will cut 6 percent of 1 percent of 1 percent of 1 percent of the Federal debt. It isn't that much, but at least it's a start. The journey of 1,000 miles begins with a single step, Madam Chair, and we need to take that step today. This is a program that should no longer exist with Federal dollars. This program hasn't been reauthorized by the U.S. Congress since 1980; 33 years--33 years--of unauthorized appropriations, Madam Chair. Are we going to continue like it's business as usual? The GAO has criticized LSC over its internal controls and lack of accountability in their financial reporting processes and systems, yet, year after year, we keep throwing money at them. We cannot keep doing things the same way and expect anything other than the same result: deeper and deeper in debt, with a bill that my sons and their children and--hopefully--my grandchildren and maybe their children will get stuck with. Today, let's at least not throw more good money after bad by wasting another $1 million on an unauthorized giveaway to attorneys. Please support my amendment. It will strip $1 million from this bill and prevent any ``emergency spending'' to pay for attorneys that should be paid for by private citizens in the private sector. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina

Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina. ``Judgment in cases of impeachment shall not extend further than to removal from office, and disqualification to hold and enjoy any office of honor, trust or profit under the United States; but the party convicted shall nevertheless be liable and subject to indictment, trial, judgment and punishment, according to law.''

Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina

Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina. Let me first say how proud we are that the Governor of South Carolina appointed one of our colleagues, Tim Scott, to the United States Senate yesterday. We wish him well. I want to thank Madam Chairman for her leadership on this issue and her leadership on the Foreign Affairs Committee. I also want to thank Chairman Royce, the new chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, for his leadership on this as this bill came through the TNT Subcommittee. I want to thank the folks on the other side of the aisle that worked with us in a bipartisan fashion to pass this unanimously through the committee. It passed the House unanimously. I thank the Senate for taking up this very important issue. Furthermore, I want to thank Chairman Mike McCaul, the new chairman of the Homeland Security Committee, for leading a codel specifically focused on this issue this past summer to South America. We're all aware of the Iranian threat or their proxies' activity here in this hemisphere. Whether it's the thwarted assassination attempt last year where the Quds Force operatives of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard were trying to use Mexican drug cartel connections to enter the United States to assassinate the Ambassador from Saudi Arabia, or the fact that it has recently been revealed that Hezbollah had a terrorist training camp or a training camp of some origin in Nicaragua here in this hemisphere, we know that Iran is active here. Last week, the Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Europe and the Americas visited Cuba, Venezuela, Bolivia, and Uruguay. This follows Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's frequent trips to the region. Most recently, Iranian naval commanders have expressed their intent to extend Iran's maritime presence into the Atlantic Ocean, closer to the coastlines of the U.S. With this piece of legislation, we seek to protect U.S. citizens from threats from Iran and defend American interests and assets here in this hemisphere. It requires the Secretary of State to conduct an assessment and develop a coordinated and targeted strategy, working together with our allies and partners here in the region, to address Iran's growing hostile presence and activity in the Western Hemisphere. With this, it establishes a strong U.S. posture, policy, and most important, a relationship with Latin American countries. It requires a plan to define and outline the presence, activities, and operations of Iran, the Revolutionary Guard, the Quds Force, Hezbollah, and any of their proxy organizations or transnational criminal organizations linked to Iran that may be present here. We require a plan to protect U.S. interests and assets here in the Western Hemisphere, including our embassies, consulates, businesses, energy pipelines, and cultural organizations, including threats to U.S. allies. Iran's actions here in our neighborhood represent a real threat to our safety and security, and I urge my colleagues to concur in the Senate amendment so that this legislation may pass the House and be sent to the desk of the President of the United States.

Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina

Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina. Thank you, Madam Chairwoman, for your leadership on this very important issue. I want to pause to thank the gentleman from New York (Mr. Higgins) for his leadership on the other side of the aisle. Last week, Congress took a rare break from our work here and from partisanship. We came together to remember those who died on 9/11 and during the war on terrorism. We stood together on the Capitol steps, and we pledged that we would never forget the heartbreaking events of that fateful day. One of the ways we can honor the memory of those who lost their lives is to be prepared so that our country will never again experience such a tragedy. Mr. Speaker, that's why I'm standing before you today, thanking you and the Members of the body for putting partisanship aside and for working together to keep our families and our communities safe from new and emerging threats to our Nation. We are all aware of the Iranian nuclear threat in the Middle East and globally, but there is another potential threat from Iran and its proxies that is closer to home. That threat is an emerging Iranian- backed terror network here in the Western Hemisphere. What we already know is very alarming. We know about last October's foiled Iranian plot to assassinate the Saudi Arabian Ambassador to the U.S. here on American soil. We know that Iran has vastly expanded its diplomatic and economic footprint in Latin America. For example, we know about the Department of Defense's 2012 Annual Report on Iran that stated: During the past three decades, Iran has methodically cultivated a network of sponsored terrorist surrogates capable of targeting U.S. and Israeli interests. Just this month, the Brazilian journal Veja and others reported on a police seizure in Bolivia of 2 tons of minerals believed initially to contain uranium but more likely tantalum, which is the mineral that is in demand for, among other things, nuclear reactors and missile parts. We know that 2 weeks ago an Israeli news organization revealed that Iran has established a Hezbollah terrorist training base in northern Nicaragua with operatives ``being trained at the base to attack Israeli and U.S. targets in the event of a raid on Iranian nuclear installations.'' And we know that just last week, press reports revealed that three suspected Hezbollah members were arrested just south of our border in Mexico. None of this should come as a surprise. Iran has publicly stated that increasing their presence and ties to Latin America is one of their top foreign policy objectives; however, we must have the capabilities to defend ourselves from potential Iranian attacks here on the homeland. We must be able to clearly identify this emerging threat and develop strategies which include working with our neighbors here in this hemisphere to prevent Iran from being a danger to our country here at home. Mr. Speaker, that's why this bill, H.R. 3783, establishes a strong U.S. posture, policy, and relationship with Latin American countries. It protects U.S. interests and assets in the Western Hemisphere, such as embassies, consulates, energy pipelines, and cultural organizations, including threats to U.S. allies. It addresses the vital national security interests of the United States by ensuring that energy supplies from the Western Hemisphere are free from the influence of any foreign government that would attempt to manipulate or disrupt global energy markets. This bill requires a secure U.S. border with the U.S. working in coordination with the governments of Mexico and Canada to prevent Iranian operatives from entering the United States. This bill counters the efforts by foreign persons, entities, and governments in the region which may assist Iran in evading U.S. and international sanctions. Mr. Speaker and Madam Chairwoman, I urge that Members of this body come together and vote for this very important issue, H.R. 3783. Last week marked the 11th anniversary of al Qaeda's attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Al Qaeda, responsible for the tragic deaths of nearly 3,000 people on 9/11, has long operated with extensive ties to the Government of Iran. The 9/11 Commission documented that al Qaeda operatives traveled to Iran to receive training in explosives in the 1990s, that ``Iran facilitated the transit of al Qaeda members into and out of Afghanistan before 9/11, and that some of these were future 9/11 hijackers.'' This past February, the Treasury Department designated the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence and Security for its support of terrorist groups including al Qaeda. Today, the Iranian regime continues pursuing nuclear weapons against U.S. and international sanctions. It warns of striking U.S. military bases with its ballistic missiles in the event of an attack on Iran. It bullies the global energy market with its threats to block the Strait of Hormuz. Last October's foiled Iranian plot to assassinate the Saudi Ambassador to the U.S. revealed, as DNI Director Clapper stated, a change in ``calculus'' and a willingness ``to conduct an attack in the United States.'' This year alone, a string of assassination attempts by Iran and Hezbollah in Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Thailand, Georgia, and Kenya have only intensified this drumbeat. Add to these dangers a growing Iranian presence in the Western Hemisphere and we have a serious security threat that demands a U.S. response. Since 2005, Iran has increased its embassies from 6 to 11 and built 17 cultural centers in Latin America. Iran's diplomacy has led to soaring trade with Latin American countries. Brazil increased its exports to Iran seven-fold over the past decade to an annual level of $2.12 billion. Iranian trade with Argentina and Ecuador has grown, and economic contracts between Iran and Venezuela have exploded to more than $20 billion in trade and cooperation agreements. Iran has also boosted its military ties with Latin America. The Defense Department assesses ``with high confidence that during the past three decades Iran has methodically cultivated a network of sponsored terrorist surrogates capable of targeting U.S. and Israeli interests.'' The U.S. Army War College's Strategic Studies Institute has labeled this threat tied to the explosion of relationships between transnational crime and criminalized states in Latin America an ``emerging tier-one national security priority.'' Two weeks ago, an Israeli news organization published a story that ``Iran has established a Hizbullah terrorist training base in northern Nicaragua'' with operatives ``being trained at the base to attack Israeli and U.S. targets in the event of a raid on Iranian nuclear installations.'' Last week, press reports revealed that three suspected Hezbollah members were arrested in Mexico. None of this should come as any surprise to us. Iran has publicly stated that ``the promotion of all-out cooperation with Latin American countries is among the top priorities of the Islamic Republic's foreign policy.'' A 2009 dossier by Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs put it bluntly: ``since Ahmadinejad's rise to power, Tehran has been promoting an aggressive policy aimed at bolstering its ties with Latin American countries with the declared goal of `bringing America to its knees.' The U.S. must have the capabilities to defend itself from a potential Iranian attack on the homeland. We must have a strong posture in our region and deepening relationships with our neighbors, so we can protect U.S. interests and keep the Western Hemisphere free from hostile agents of foreign influence. We must have secure borders to prevent Iranian operatives from entering the U.S. It is unconscionable that we should let Iran use Latin American countries as a base to prepare for potential attacks against the U.S. homeland. Iran poses an incalculable risk to the safety of the U.S. homeland. Our duty is to ensure we provide for the defense of this country, and the American people expect no less. I ask for your support of this legislation.

Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina

Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina. Mr. Chairman, I give thanks to the Natural Resources Committee for their hard work on this issue. As my good friend, Jeff Landry, the Congressman from Louisiana reminds us, drilling equals jobs. And Republicans have a plan for job creation in America, and it begins not with a government takeover of our health care industry like the Democrats thought would create jobs. It begins with America pursuing energy independence, utilizing the resources that we are blessed with in this country, primarily right now in the offshore areas. We do this by expanding the areas of our Outer Continental Shelf that are included in our Nation's plan for exploration over the next 5 years. It seems simple to the average American, and that's what frustrates them so much, that we would refuse to at least explore our reserves and meet our energy needs in this country. With a 9.4 percent unemployment rate in South Carolina, South Carolina understands that drilling equals jobs. Jobs we want, and that is why the Palmetto State offshore area is included in this bill. I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support this American Jobs and Energy initiative by passing H.R. 6082.

Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina

Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina. Madam Speaker, you know, last week the President said to American job creators that if you've got a business, you didn't build that; somebody else made that happen. Well, let me tell you, Mr. President, that prior to coming to Congress I ran my own business for 16 years. Where was the President or this phantom person that he claims that created my business? Where were they when I was driving 60,000 miles a year chasing business or putting in 16-hour days or signing the loan paperwork at the bank so that I could make payroll or keep the wheels turning on my vehicles? The only other person that was there when I started my business was my wife, Melody, who supported me in so many ways. This asinine comment by the President of the United States clearly shows that neither he nor anyone in the administration know anything about creating jobs or running a business here in America. May God bless the real job creators in America, and may God continue to bless this great Nation. Announcement by the Speaker Pro Tempore

Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina

Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina. Madam Speaker, Americans know that the government takeover of health care is wrong. They spoke very loudly when the other side of the aisle forced this on America in the last Congress. It was bad policy before the Supreme Court ruled, and it was bad policy in January when we first passed the repeal bill. It's bad policy today, and it will be bad policy tomorrow. It takes $500 billion away from Medicare. It puts government bureaucrats between Americans and their doctors. It rations care for American seniors. It adds exponentially to the Nation's debt. It grows government. Specifically, it grows the Internal Revenue Service to collect the tax, which the Supreme Court so evidently pointed out that it is a tax that will be assessed if you fail to meet government's requirement to buy something. Socialized medicine is wrong for America, and it is time to repeal the bill.

Mr. DUNCAN

Mr. DUNCAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the conference report on H.R. 4348, the surface transportation reauthorization bill of 2012. I first want to salute Chairman Mica for the tremendous job he has done in bringing this bill to the floor today, and I want to thank him for allowing me to serve as chairman of the Highways and Transit Subcommittee. This monumental reform package will be considered the signature jobs bill of the 112th Congress, and I am pleased to have been a conferee on the negotiations of the conference report. States will have over 2 years of funding certainty with no tax increases. By providing long-term funding stability to States, major projects will be able to move forward to help create jobs and make much-needed repairs to our Nation's critical transportation infrastructure. These are jobs, Mr. Speaker, that will not be outsourced to China or elsewhere. Traffic congestion costs the U.S. economy over $100 billion a year, approximately. With congestion expected to increase over the next decade and beyond, the job creation from this bill will help reduce congestion costs and boost the economy. This conference report contains no earmarks. Funding is distributed based on formulas which go directly to State Departments of Transportation, which will prioritize the highway and transit projects that are the most needed and most important in their State. The number of Federal programs has been greatly reduced, which will give the States greater flexibility on how they spend their limited Federal resources. The conference report doubles the funding for the Highway Safety Improvement Program, which gives States resources for improvements to dangerous and unsafe sections on our Nation's highways and will save lives. A more robust Highway Safety Improvement Program will help continue the downward trend of highway fatalities and serious injuries that we have seen in the last several years. The House included several streamlining provisions that will have a dramatic effect on the project delivery process. Federal agencies will be given deadlines to review burdensome environmental requirements, and it requires concurrent instead of consecutive project reviews. Projects that are in the footprint of an existing highway will not be required to go through this process. According to the last study of the Federal Highway Administration, the project delivery process can take up to 15 years from conception to completion. This is government at its worst. These reforms will help cut project delivery times in half and save taxpayers a great deal of money. The Senate bill also includes a wide spectrum of additional government bureaucracy and red tape for small business that would have severely hurt their bottom line. We were successful in removing most of these over-burdensome regulations. This, Madam Speaker, is the most conservative highway bill ever, both from a fiscal standpoint and from a policy standpoint. I would especially like to praise the staff that has worked so hard, led by Jim Tymon, one of the most competent and capable people this Congress has ever had, from a staff standpoint. I look forward to passing this reform bill and putting Americans back to work, and I urge passage of this bill.

Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina

Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina. I thank the chairman. There can be no national security without energy security. Let that sink in. There can be no national security without energy security. House Republicans support a truly all-of-the-above energy policy, not one put forth by the Obama administration and House Democrats, which basically is an all-of-the-above, except for X, Y, and Z, policy, which blows through Americans' hard-earned tax dollars by chasing phantom solutions to our energy needs with companies like Solyndra. ``All of the above'' means opening up Federal lands for energy production and exploration, and it puts Americans to work. Americans simply need to look to one western State to see a microcosm of what America could be with an energy-driven economy. That State is North Dakota. When you get off the plane in North Dakota, they give you a job whether you need one or not. They're approaching a zero percent unemployment rate--zero. It is an energy-driven economy. It is the microcosm of what this Nation could be if we would pursue an energy- driven economy. Energy from Federal lands could be a reality. Energy from the Outer Continental Shelf could be a reality if we would embrace opening up American resources for production, which is like the folks in North Dakota have done on State and private lands. This is good policy for America. Energy policy works.

Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina

Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina. I want to thank my friend from Georgia for yielding to me tonight. I think our colleagues on the other side of the aisle are in denial about deficits and debt. What it means--I put the debt clock right here in front for everyone to see, but if you can't see it, America is $15.74 trillion in debt. In fact, we've had over $30 million added to the Nation's debt just since we have been talking this evening and the clock's running right now; $50,000 per American citizen in this country is your share of the Nation's debt. You know, back in July of 2010, my wife and I, we took our boys, it was after a campaign, and we went out across the Nation. In 17 days we went through 19 States, and we visited no less than 11 national parks. Now, this was after the $1.2 trillion stimulus package passed by President Obama in the Democrat-controlled Congress. But what did I see as I drove through the 19 States of this country's heartland? Where did I see the construction projects on the road, the $1.2 trillion in deficit spending to get the jobs we never got? I saw the construction happening, road construction happening on roads leading into national parks. I didn't see it on the interstate highways that would allow transportation of commerce around this land. I saw it in the national parks. We're $15.74 trillion in debt, and all the gentleman is asking to do is let's live within our means. Let's collect the highway tax, and let's just spend that. Let's not continue to perpetuate deficit spending. But, you know, we throw words around like ``millions'' and ``billions'' and ``trillions'' around this Nation, and we lose track of what a trillion is. But let me just tell you, if we decided to get serious about paying back our Nation's creditors, and we did it at the rate of $20 million a day, and we did that every day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year--and, ladies and gentlemen, listen up--if we did that every day of the year, from the time Jesus Christ was born until now, we have only paid back $14.9 trillion of our debt, less than what we owe, at the rate of $20 million a day, for 746,000 days that it's been. Now it's time to get serious about what we're doing in this country with regard to revenue and with regard to deficit spending. This the fourth year in a row we will be in excess of a trillion dollars, spending a trillion dollars more than we're bringing in as a Nation. All we're doing on the Republican side is saying, you know what, it's time America lives within its means. It's time we have a balanced budget. We need a balanced budget to the Nation's Constitution to require this body, which shows no fiscal restraint, require this body to live within its means just like we have to do at home in our family budgets and our small business budgets. It's time to get serious in this country about our Nation's debt and about what our deficit spending means. Quit spending money for jobs we never got from the Obama stimulus package.

Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina

Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the TL Hanna High School Girls' Soccer Team for winning the State 4A Championship. These young women had a phenomenal 27 2 season, defeating Wando High School two to nothing to capture the state title for the first time in school history. Led by their coach, Katelyn Davis, and their trainer Jason Powell, the team had three players named ``all state'', and five named ``all region''. After winning the State Championship in Columbia, South Carolina, on May 18, one of the players was asked about her head coach by a member of the press and stated: ``She is the rock of this team. Our big sister. We look up to her so much, and wouldn't be here without her.'' Coach Davis did an excellent job leading her team to the state title, keeping them focused on their motto ``one team, one goal.'' Competitive sports are valuable for teaching important life lessons such as determination, hard work, and being part of a team. I'm confident that these young women will carry their experiences with them out into the world, and use them to boldly succeed in life. Congratulations to: Tatiana Guarin, Madison Anderson, Madyson Strong, Paige Miller, Baylee Gillmore, Chelsea Drennan, Catherine Roberts, Madison Cutts, Amber Bowles, Kelly Shaw, Meredith Parker, Jan Wilson, Anna Brannon, Olivia Bair, Kylie Miller, Christina Barrington, Lina Baroni, Margaret McElwee, Fantasia Todd. You all have many reasons to be proud. I know that you'll never forget your 2012 Championship season, and I hope you'll take the same level of boldness that you brought to the field with you everywhere you go in life. Congratulations Yellow Jackets, and God Bless.

Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina

Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina. Mr. Chairman, it is imperative that the new government in Egypt adhere to the 1979 Israeli-Egyptian peace treaty. This amendment conditions U.S. funding for U.S. military participation in joint military exercises with Egypt. If Egypt abrogates, terminates, or withdraws from the 1979 Israeli-Egypt peace treaty, then the U.S. will not fund any joint military exercises with Egypt. I urge adoption.

Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina

Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina. Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina. First, let me say that there is centuries-old precedence of international law governing the navigational rights in territorial waters and navigation through the straits around the globe. The U.N.'s Convention on the Law of the Sea was submitted to the United States Senate for its advice and consent in adherence to the United States Constitution 30 years ago in the 1980s, but the United States Senate has consistently refused to support it. The U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea threatens the United States' national security interests and subordinates United States sovereignty to the global bureaucracy known as the United Nations. It threatens U.S. sovereignty under part XV by subjecting U.S. companies to mandatory dispute settlements and costly lawsuits by creating an unaccountable International Seabed Authority, ISA, to make rules that the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea members must follow. In addition, these rules may be changed by the ISA over the objection of any signatory nation. It threatens U.S. military priorities because the U.S. Navy could find itself subject to international dispute resolution for its military activities in a nation-state's exclusive economic zones because article 288 does not define ``military activity.'' An example here might be the restriction, not the enhancement, of the free movement of United States Navy vessels in areas such as the South China Sea where we see China attempting to extend its territorial waters into areas such as the Spratly Islands. You talk about redistribution of the wealth, it threatens U.S. foreign policy objectives because article 82 requires the revenue given to the ISA be distributed to the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea members. No transparency exists--as it doesn't in most U.N. policies-- but no transparency exists on how countries use the funds, and nothing prevents the ISA from redistributing U.S. revenue to state sponsors of terrorism or undemocratic regimes with human rights abuses. It threatens the U.S. economic interests. The U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea provides for international revenue sharing from the exploitation of resources taken from the deep seabed--nickel, copper, cobalt are just some of the few, as well as oil and gas taken from the extended continental shelf. Now, this brings into question offshore and deep sea energy production and the question of whether we really want to turn over regulatory authority of these potential assets to the United Nations. In addition, the Law of the Sea treaty could also potentially subject United States rivers and lakes to international jurisdiction where U.S. waterways meet international waters. The Law of the Sea treaty would, in essence, turn the United States Navy into a policing arm of the United Nations, since we have the largest and most capable Navy in the world. My amendment would protect the United States Navy, the United States military chain of command, authority of the Secretary of the Navy, Secretary of Defense, Commander in Chief, the Uniform Code of Military Justice, and the constitutional requirements of the U.S. Congress. My amendment limits American tax dollars to any institution or organization established by the U.N.'s Convention on the Law of the Sea, and I encourage the Members' support, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina. Mr. Chairman, I appreciate Mr. Amash's efforts to protect liberty. Let us be clear, there should be no ambiguity when the constitutional rights of U.S. citizens are at risk. The fear that Americans have over indefinite detention is well-founded. We have the obligation, and now the opportunity, to be crystal clear in this language, and I believe that this amendment moves this NDAA in the right direction of protecting these cherished constitutional rights. I urge support of this amendment.

Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina

Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina. I thank the chairwoman for giving me this opportunity to talk about the reason the United States should stand with Israel. I brought my oldest son with me. He is in the gallery today. His name is Graham. I wanted him to hear, and people of his generation to hear, and to understand that America stands with Israel, that we were there at the beginning of the foundation of that nation. We understand the threats that exist in the world today and that, when you have an ally, you never abandon the ally, and you never try to change that ally to meet your vision of the world. You stand with them unconditionally. America stands with Israel in the defense of that nation. We stand with Israel in the prosperity of that nation. We stand with Israel in the good times and in the bad times. We've been there from the beginning. We will be there today, and we will be there tomorrow. It is important for this generation to understand that America plays a very vital role in standing with someone who has stood with us time and time again. May God continue to bless America, and may God continue to bless the State of Israel. Announcement by the Speaker Pro Tempore

Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina

Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina. Madam Chairman, the right to a secret ballot should be sacred in America, and I stand in unison with my colleagues from South Dakota, Utah, and Arizona in defunding the NLRB's ability to sue States over the right to a secret ballot. For decades, we have seen a sharp decline in private sector labor unions, while government employee labor unions have used the political process to expand. In an effort to curb the recent labor trends in the private sector, the administration's taxpayer-funded voice for labor-- the National Labor Relations Board--has filed numerous suits against right-to-work States and enacted over-the-top, union-friendly policies simply because right-to-work States like South Carolina allow employees to decide for themselves whether or not they wish to join labor unions. The NLRB's latest attempt to boost labor unions involves suing two States, Arizona and South Dakota, and intimidating several other States because of State laws protecting the secret-ballot process in labor union elections. Just recently, 80 percent of South Carolinians voted overwhelmingly-- 80 percent--to enact secret-ballot protections in union certification elections. These are exactly the protections that NLRB bureaucrats are attacking today. This is not only an attack on our states' rights, but also on the secret-ballot election process that allows workers to vote their conscience without fear of union retaliation. My amendment does not eliminate the NLRB or strip away all of their funding--even though they probably deserve exactly that after 2 years of abusing businesses, including Boeing in my home State. Rather, my amendment simply protects the States whose citizens have spoken on this issue by stopping the NLRB lawsuits against those States. I urge my colleagues to stand up for workers' rights, stand up for the rights of voters in our States who have spoken, and stand up for the rights of our States themselves and support this amendment. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina. I move to strike the last word.

Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina. Madam Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina. Madam Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina. I yield to the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Chaffetz).