Jeff Duncan

Mr. DUNCAN

Mr. DUNCAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. I will just close by saying that I am very grateful to Jim Oberstar. He helped me obtain many things for my district. His last year in Congress, in August of that year, he came to my district to dedicate a beautiful new transit center which the city of Knoxville was kind enough to name after me. I always was grateful for his spending that day with me in Knoxville. I can tell you that I am now in my 27th year in Congress. Twenty-two of those years were spent working with Congressman Oberstar. This Nation, as Mr. Lipinski said a few minutes ago, is a better place today because of the work of Congressman Jim Oberstar. I urge all of my colleagues to support passage of this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina

Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina. Mr. Chairman, I lost my father April 14 of this year to Alzheimer's. It is a terrible disease. I watched how it affected him. I know that there are millions of Americans and American families that are dealing with Alzheimer's. The 21st Century Cures Act will focus some resources so we can find a cure for Alzheimer's and we can find a cure for these diseases that are costing American taxpayers so much money. I want to applaud the chairman, and I want to urge everyone to get behind the 21st Century Cures Act so we can find a cure for diseases like Alzheimer's in memory of my father, John Duncan.

Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina

Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I rise in honor and memory of my former South Carolina General Assembly colleague, State Senator Clementa Pinckney. Tragedy shot through the hearts of every family and community last night in South Carolina. It is important in times like these to remember that we are all made in the image of God. We are all brothers and sisters in Christ and are there to shoulder the burden of tragedy and loss. Please pray for the 180-year-old Emanuel AME Church, who suffered the loss; the city of Charleston, tormented with distress; the State of South Carolina and its law enforcement personnel. We all need to come together with compassion and love. Remember from the Book of Matthew: Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the Earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. May God comfort the city of Charleston and the State of South Carolina this morning.

Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina

Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina. Madam Chair, the question we should ask ourselves is, should green energy companies be held liable for incidental deaths of birds of prey or migratory birds as a result of them flying into wind turbines or onto solar arrays. As you may know, the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 and the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act, while well-intentioned, are significantly outdated. Under current law, the accidental death of a protected bird is punishable as a misdemeanor; a second offense can be charged as a felony. This includes accidental deaths caused by wind turbines and solar panels. The MBTA covers over 1,000 different species of birds. The Migratory Bird Treaty Act and the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act were written to target the intentional killing of migratory birds and birds of prey. I don't think anybody believes that accidental deaths as a result of solar panels or wind energy production warrants felony prosecution. Every year, cars, trucks, skyscrapers, windmills, oil platforms, airplanes, and houses with big windows cause the deaths of hundreds of thousands of these protected birds, doing things that are otherwise well within the law but that make drivers, pilots, property owners, and green energy companies potential felons under a strict interpretation of an outdated law. As you can imagine, the enforcement of this law is pretty spotty, with bureaucrats selectively enforcing these regulations, creating uncertainty in the green energy marketplace. President Obama's Fish and Wildlife Service recently announced plans to study the possibility of creating a permitting regime under the MBTA, which would allow for incidental and accidental take without criminal penalty, and they have suspended prosecutions until this is worked out. I agree with this approach. That is consistent with a bill I introduced--my CLEAN Energy Producers Act, H.R. 493. My amendment today to the Commerce-Justice-Science Appropriations bill will suspend further prosecutions for incidental avian deaths under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act until this incidental take permitting regime is implemented. I believe this is the right step as we move toward permanent reforms of the MBTA and the BGEPA as a part of the national all-of-the-above energy independence strategy. I would urge a ``yes'' vote on this important issue, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina. Mr. Chairman, if somebody has intentionally violated law, absolutely, they ought to be prosecuted. This amendment is in order because we are dealing with justice and how this is prosecuted. We are saying that the Justice Department can't expend any money to prosecute these incidental accidental deaths. We need an interpretation of law. There is no doubt in my mind that we ought to revisit the MBTA and Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act, and we will. I am on the Natural Resources Committee. I promise you, this issue will come up; but I think it is appropriate to say we are going to hold off on expending any money by prosecuting these accidental incidental deaths. I would urge my colleagues to vote for this. I think it is the right place and the right time. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina. Madam Chair, I am in full support of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. I am an avid water fowler; I am an avid hunter, and I see how the Migratory Bird Treaty Act has benefited the species from the heyday of the market hunting and what we saw in the early 1900s. I believe that the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act were designed to talk about the intentional killing or overharvesting of migratory birds and potential killing of birds of prey. Even the Obama administration recognizes that there is something wrong with how we prosecute these cases of incidental and accidental deaths. This simply takes what they are already doing and says let's just have a pause until we can work this out in permanent law. That is all my amendment does. Madam Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina

Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina. Mr. Chairman, I want to thank the chairman of the committee. I rise today in support of H.R. 1335, the Strengthening Fishing Communities and Increasing Flexibility in Fisheries Management Act. I want to thank my colleagues on the Natural Resources Committee for including my amendment in support of the findings of the Morris-Deal Commission. One of the top priorities of the Morris-Deal Commission was requiring a review, and adjustment if warranted, of the allocations of mixed- sector fisheries. Despite the tremendous importance that allocation decisions have in maximizing the benefits that our fisheries provide to the Nation, Federal fisheries managers have refused to revisit allocations--most of which were determined decades ago--primarily because of a lack of clear guidance on how decisions should be made and because these decisions are inherently difficult. My amendment included in the committee text would prompt the development of criteria that should be considered in allocation decisions and require periodic allocation reviews. The language does not prescribe any specific shifts in existing allocations but rather a science-based review and potential adjustment if needed. Recognizing the high number of important recreational fisheries in the region, the geographic scope of this provision is limited to just the South Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico. You see the poster beside me. As vice chairman of the Congressional Sportsmen's Caucus, I represent 1.3 million anglers in the organizations on this poster that they belong to that support this bill. Let us be clear: the goal here is to allow more fishermen, whether they are commercial fishermen or recreational anglers, to be able to take more fish in a responsible manner. We want policy based on sound science compatible with the facts in the water, not the uninformed opinions of an agenda-driven desk jockey bureaucrat in Washington, D.C. This provision was in the MSA reauthorization bills introduced by Senators Rubio and Begich in the 113th Congress. Again, I want to thank my colleagues on the Natural Resources Committee for helping include this language, and I urge passage of the final bill. This is common sense to reauthorize Magnuson-Stevens. The gentleman from Alaska has done a tremendous job on this, and I urge passage.

Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina

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

Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina. Mr. Chair, before I start, I just want to thank the gentleman from Idaho, the chairman of the Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development, and Related Agencies appropriations for all his exemplary work on this and allowing the open process to actually work. I know that my colleagues that have offered amendments appreciate the time that they have been able to do that, and I want to thank him for that. Mr. Chair, I rise today to offer an amendment to the Energy and Water Appropriations bill. This amendment takes dollars out of the bureaucracy in Washington, D.C., and puts it to work for the American people, helping ports and harbors like the Charleston Port in my home State of South Carolina do the important work necessary to begin the deepening of those harbors. Last month, I had the pleasure of visiting the Panama Canal when I led a House delegation to the Summit of the Americas. The lock and dam system in that canal is being upgraded, and it was very interesting to see the work that they are doing there. Once that work is complete, larger ships will be able to come through the canal and deliver goods to and from Atlantic and Gulf ports along the eastern seaboard. This will be one of the key economic drivers in the 21st century. If America is going to compete on the global stage, we need to be ready for this transformation. My amendment seeks to speed that readiness, helping to transform critical ports like Charleston's to the depth that will allow these bigger ships to navigate those harbors more often. This amendment is about this House setting our government's spending priorities, just like every family does at home. We are rapidly approaching a $20 trillion debt, and we have a moral responsibility to use every tax dollar wisely. I am grateful that my colleagues on the Committee on Appropriations were able to negotiate this amendment to increase funding for vital infrastructure projects like the Port of Charleston and pay for it by forcing bureaucratic agencies to operate more efficiently. I urge the passage of the amendment. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina

Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize an exceptional group of students, teachers, and parents of the Bell Street Middle School Science Olympiad Team, which just won their 13th consecutive Science Olympiad State championship. Let me repeat that: the 13th straight Science Olympiad State championship, a remarkable group of parents, teachers, and students. The Science Olympiad program is one of the premier science competition programs in the Nation, which for the past 31 years has been dedicated to interscholastic academic competition that provides a series of individual and team events requiring the knowledge of scientific facts, concepts, processes, skills, and science applications. They provide constantly changing challenges to nearly 7,000 teams across all 50 States that allow for students to be exposed to a variety of career choices while meeting practicing scientists and life-changing mentors. The Bell Street Middle School in Clinton, South Carolina, began competing in this competition in 1986. The Science Olympiad team here was founded by three exceptional teachers: Dr. Rosemary Wicker, Dr. David O'Shields, and Michael Mack. Mr. Mack and Dr. David O'Shields still work in the school district today, and Dr. O'Shields is the superintendent of Laurens County School District 56. He continues to be a part of the team and coaches the Bell Street Middle School Science Olympiad. Many of the Bell Street Science Olympiad alumni have gone on to be extremely successful in the fields of science and technology. One example is Elizabeth Humbert, who went on to obtain a master's degree in geology at the University of Tennessee and later went on to help manage mastodon excavation at the Paleontological Research Institution in Ithaca, New York. She also participated in the Hyde Park Mastodon Project, which was the discovery of the most complete mastodon to date. She has spent countless hours working in outreach to students through helping to build the Museum of the Earth and through an outreach position at Cornell University for NASA, through which she helped build the STEM internships across the State of New York for underrepresented students. Today Elizabeth is living on the island of Sumatra in Indonesia, developing a class for upper elementary school students on their regional ecology and geology. When asked about her love for science, Elizabeth states: My building block, my love for learning, my discovery that I could do what I found interesting, dates specifically back to Bell Street Middle School and to our Challenge classes, to enjoying the freedom and the open-ended research it offered and to Science Olympiad and the connections it created. Of her experience participating in Science Olympiad, she states it provided her with ``the feeling that being different might not be a burden, but a great blessing and an exciting path to follow. Science for me has always been that exciting path and perhaps an unusual one in 1994. I have been so glad to see more women in the field in these last 20 years. I know Science Olympiad fosters that in all students and creates visions of possibilities that really exist,'' she said. Mr. Speaker, I believe that her statement sums up how valuable this organization has been and continues to be to our Nation's youth. This year's students are continuing this history of success and innovation with their first-place finishes in 11 of the State competition's 20 events. One event in particular required students to create a wheeled vehicle that could travel a specific distance in the shortest amount of time. This year the length of the track was longer than in previous years, and there was a coffee can placed in the middle of the track. I have got a graphic here to kind of show you what that is. Students lost points if the car went over the finish line or didn't stop close enough to it. In order to be successful in this event, Dillon Snead created a formula based on what he is learning in his geometry class. He created a triangle with a square ruler which he accurated with his car and then used a formula to calculate the distance from the starting point-- starting point being here--to the ending point. This allowed him to create an arch with a point 1/12th of the total distance. Using this formula, Dillon and his partner, Alyssa Shiflet, were able to create a car that stopped 2 centimeters away from the finish line, winning the team first place. This victory helped the team achieve the overall first place award at the State competition. You can look at this Web site and actually watch a video. They had to take a motorized vehicle that they created, calculate the distance, the energy, and the radius to go around an obstacle in the middle of the path, and they stopped it at the other end within 1 centimeter of the finish line. This is an eighth-grade student that did this, helping his class win the first place. I think Dillon Snead's mathematic abilities are tremendous. I would like to congratulate him. Mr. Speaker, I want to finally take this opportunity to congratulate all the coaches and members of this year's Science Olympiad team from School District 56's Bell Street Middle School on their 13th consecutive State championship. I will try to read their names without stumbling. If I do, students, I apologize: Sydney Argoe, Victor Barcenas, Jordan Barker, Sean Bell, Jonathan Braswell, Sienna Brent, Jakiya Campbell, Erin Caughman, Justin Easter, Mason Gibbs, Cole Gresham, Karl Gustafson, Anjela Gutierrez, Grace Johnson, Matthew Lane, Dequan Lindsay, Patrick Nelson, Toni Parenti, Jakob Pountain, Tytajha Robinson, Alyssa Shiflet, Dillon Snead, Destiny Spoone, Bailey Stephens, Maren Vondergeest, Nathan Vondergeest, Gary Walsh, Caitlyn Watson, David Wilkie, and Kari Young. These are all the students on that team, Mr. Speaker, and while I don't have all the names of their parents and the teachers, I want to congratulate them as well and thank them for their efforts in helping create our future scientists and innovators, and for challenging these middle school students to be the very best they can be. You see, these things don't happen overnight. These Science Olympiad teams train weekend after weekend, spending Saturdays and sometimes Sunday afternoons with the teachers and the parents involved, figuring all these mathematic formulas out and figuring out this science. I also want to wish the best of luck to all of you as you make your way to Lincoln, Nebraska, for the national competition, which is in May. I would like to end by saying: May God continue to bless these students, their teachers, and their parents; may God put a hedge of protection over them as they travel; may God continue to bless Bell Street Middle School; and may God continue to bless the United States of America. Honoring John T. Duncan, Sr. I would also like to take this opportunity to finish my comments here today talking about one of my heroes. My dad passed away Tuesday, a week ago, from complications with Alzheimer's. It is a terrible disease. The Alzheimer's Association and others are working hard to come up with a cure for that. My dad was an amazing man. He was a 1961 graduate of Clemson University, the first in his family to finish college. He went on to send my brother and me to Clemson as well. My brother has one son that has graduated from Clemson, one that is attending, and I have one that is attending. That is because of my father. We have a saying at Clemson that our ``blood runneth orange.'' When they prepared my dad's body, I believe they found his blood to truly runneth orange because of his love for our alma mater, and that is Clemson University. My dad studied industrial management, textiles emphasis. He went on to be a plant manager and supervisor and, ultimately, vice president at Arkwright Mills in textiles. He used to carry a marble in his pocket. I think that was the philosophy that helped him succeed not only in life as a general manager or a plant manager or supervisor in the textile industry, not as a member of the community, not as a father, but just as a human being. That is a marble that had a saying on it that was given to us by Jesus Christ, and that is: Do unto others as you would have others do unto you. Let us treat others the way that we would want to be treated. I think my dad used that philosophy as he walked the plant floor in the textile mills that he oversaw. I think he treated the people that were pushing the brooms or working on the looms or the spinning frames or actually weaving and spinning or actually the supervisors, I think he treated them all the same. I think my dad treated them the way that he would want to be treated if he was pushing that broom or if he was working on that spinning frame or if he was actually a weaver and supervisor. Treat others the way you want to be treated. I think if we are able to do that in life, I think we will go far. I think it is a great motto. It is inspiration to me, so I will try to treat others as well. My dad was one of my heroes. I lost him on April 14 of this year, Tuesday, a week ago. I am going to miss him. He was proud of what I did, proud of what I have been able to accomplish, proud of me serving this great country that he loved so much, the United States of America. If he was at home, he would be sitting in front of the TV, watching C-SPAN, watching me give this speech; and he would be proud. Thank you. God bless you. May God bless America. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina

Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, last week, the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Brown) said, Why are we here? She got all upset. Let me tell you why we are here: because the President of the United States violated the constitutional separation of powers. Regardless of how you feel about immigration or immigration reform or even amnesty, surely you believe in the United States Constitution that you swore an oath to. Surely you believe in this institution that we are debating in today. He said 22 times that he did not have the power to unilaterally make law or change the law, yet that is, in fact, what he did. That is why this debate is so important today. It really has nothing to do with DHS funding, amnesty, or immigration. That is the vehicle that we are using, sure. But it has everything to do with the United States Constitution and the sacred separation of powers that says the executive branch executes the laws. We make the law in this Chamber. We are the only ones to have the constitutional authority to do that.

Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina

Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and honor an American hero, Mr. William Trammell, born January 28, 1920. A lifelong resident of Anderson County, he graduated from Clemson University in 1941 in the exceptional class of graduates known as the ``wartime class,'' where 57 of his classmates lost their lives in World War II. They composed the backbone of what we understand today as the Greatest Generation. Captain Trammell joined the 1st Engineer Amphibian Brigade during the war, and he was sent to Europe to fight the Nazis. He participated in the North Africa invasion, as well as campaigns in Tunisia, southern Italy, and southern France. Fortunately, he returned home after 3\1/2\ years overseas suffering only minor injuries. Once home, he pursued the American Dream. Mr. Trammell successfully operated three businesses, one of which is still in operation today and operated by his oldest son, Steve. Mr. Trammell, along with his wife, Thelma, worked on the Eisenhower campaign. To this day, he represents the highest quality of individual that we expect as Americans. He has served his community and country with honor, dignity, and love. Today I would like to wish Mr. Trammell a happy 95th birthday. Mr. Speaker, I encourage the House, as well as all Americans, to strive to live life as this exceptional man has and to dedicate their lives to something greater than themselves.

Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina

Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina. I thank the gentlewoman from Florida for her leadership on this issue, not just today, but for her whole tenure in Congress. As the new chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere, I was grateful to see the return of Alan Gross to the United States last month after 5 years of unjust imprisonment in Cuba. The announcement over this past weekend that the Cubans freed 53 prisoners was also welcome news. Nevertheless, I have major concerns with the way this administration, the Obama administration, conducted negotiations and the way the decision was made to radically alter longstanding U.S. policy towards Cuba. The administration failed to consult Congress, failed to consult any Cuban dissidents or civil society in its decision to embark on its new course in Cuba. The administration says this decision will empower the Cuban people; yet softening U.S. policy without concrete Cuban reforms will only boost the Castro regime and government and facilitate the survival of the communist regime. We need to focus not on what is best for the Cuban Government, the Castro regime, we need to focus on what is best for the Cuban people. I ask you this: Will this deal mean more self-governance for the Cuban people? Will it mean more economic freedom for those who strive to innovate, those that are entrepreneurial within the Cuban society? Will they be able to start more businesses and have economic freedom? Will there be more religious freedom for the Cuban people? Will there be more rights to free speech? Are the Cuban people seeing this debate tonight on Cuban TV? Are the Cuban people able to access the Internet and watch what we are doing via YouTube or any other media? These are rhetorical questions, but I answer them with ``no,'' based on my understanding. I recall it was only 1 week after the announcement of this U.S.-Cuba deal that the Cuban Government cracked down on peaceful protestors in Havana's Revolutionary Square. I point to that as evidence that it is still a closed communistic society. In conclusion, the administration's decision is a reward to the communist dictatorship at the expense of the Cuban people. This action is especially disgraceful when we consider the administration's disrespect toward our friend and ally in Canada by vowing to veto legislation approving the construction of the Keystone pipeline. These are issues that require vigorous congressional oversight. I look forward to working with the ranking member, Mr. Sires, that you just heard from, as we hold hearings in the Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere in the coming weeks and month.

Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina

Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the life and career of Mr. John A. Miller, Jr. for his 41 years of involvement with AnMed Health System and with the local community in South Carolina. John began his career with AnMed Health in 1973, eventually becoming its Chief Operating Officer (COO) in 1978 and serving as its Chief Executive Officer (CEO) from 1998 to the present. I have appreciated John's expert views on healthcare policy and economic development over the years. Anchored by AnMed Health Medical Center in downtown Anderson, South Carolina, AnMed Health is one of the largest employers in South Carolina's Third Congressional District with over 500 physicians and nearly 4,000 employees. The 690-bed, not-for-profit health system is one of the state's largest not-for-profit independent health systems and serves South Carolina, Georgia, and North Carolina. AnMed Health also serves as a local hub of medical education, partnering with institutions such as Clemson University, Anderson University, The Medical University of South Carolina, and AnMed Health's own Family Medicine residency program in the training of future healthcare professionals, which has graduated over 300 family doctors since 1975. John began his career with AnMed Health in 1973 after graduating from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, serving in the U.S. Navy and completing a Masters of Health Administration from Duke University. John has also received an Honorary Doctorate of Humanities from Anderson University. John's career in healthcare now spans nearly 41 years as does his involvement in the Anderson Community and across the region. He has served in numerous leadership capacities with a number of local, regional, state, and national organizations, including the Anderson Area Chamber of Commerce, the Anderson Area YMCA, the Anderson County United Way, Innovate Anderson, Hospice of the Upstate, Upstate South Carolina Alliance, Ten at the Top, Leadership South Carolina, and the SC Chamber of Commerce. During John's tenure at AnMed Health, he has led AnMed Health from a community hospital to a comprehensive health system, encompassing five hospitals, a modern cancer center, a comprehensive home care division, a Level II trauma center, a cardiac and orthopedic center, three outpatient surgery centers, a family medicine residency program, two minor cares, two retail pharmacies, and a network of physician practices. John's knowledge and understanding of the changing healthcare landscape and his ongoing dedication to the organization and the community have ensured the continued realization of AnMed Health's founder Jennie Gilmer's vision to bring comprehensive and quality healthcare to the Anderson community. While at the helm of AnMed Health, he has continued to encourage the achievement of the gold standard for the health system by lending support to AnMed Health in its achievement of Magnet designation for nursing excellence by earning Top 100 recognitions by organizations such as Thomas Reuters and Becker's Hospital Review, U.S News and World Reports Best Regional Hospital, and numerous accreditations from the Joint Commission and other national organizations. John has contributed to the advancement of the healthcare industry on a local, regional, state, and national level over the past four decades by serving in a leadership capacity with such organizations as the American Hospital Association, the American College of Healthcare Executives, the South Carolina Hospital Association, and many others. While he is leaving his leadership post, he will still remain active with AnMed Health and various national and local organizations. I know that John will always be there to offer much needed counsel to those in need. Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the 3rd District of South Carolina, I wish to express our deepest thanks to Mr. John A. Miller, Jr. for his significant contributions to AnMed Health, the local and regional communities, and healthcare overall. We wish him and his family all the best in their future endeavors.

Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina

Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina. I want to thank the gentleman from Nebraska for his leadership on energy, and for having this opportunity to discuss with the American people the things you are talking about, the impact of the rules and regulations the Obama administration has put forward with coal-fired power plants. In my State of South Carolina, with the number of power plants that we have that are coal-fired generated, we will see rates go up. And, as you say, they have got until 2016. Well, the Obama administration will leave office in 2016, and that is when you are really going to see the impact of rates going up in States like South Carolina, Nebraska, and others that use coal. The Obama administration won't feel the impact and the pressure from the voters because they will no longer be in office. But let me tell you about a winning message, and that is jobs, energy, and the Founding Fathers, things we have talked about this week as we passed this energy package. Jobs. Let's unleash and unbridle that innovative and entrepreneurial spirit in America. Let Americans create jobs with the understanding that government creates jobs, but the government creates government jobs. Americans create American jobs, and they do that through energy. Energy is a segue to job creation, and, if you dispute that fact, go to North Dakota, Oklahoma, Texas, or Louisiana. Look at the jobs that are created there. There are low unemployment rates, even negative unemployment rates, in North Dakota. It is an energy-driven economy. Jobs and energy. Energy is a segue to job creation. Our Founding Fathers unleashing that entrepreneurial spirit, understanding the American Dream, understanding limited government, free markets, and individual liberties. We do that by simple things like approving the Keystone pipeline to bring that friendly Canadian oil down to the refineries where we have capacity in this country, working with our best and largest trading partner to the North. It just makes sense as you approach American energy independence. If we as a Congress can't approach American energy independence, why not North American energy independence, working with the Canadians and also looking south to Mexico, which just did away with the nationalization of their energy sector, privatizing more and more of Pemex and the other energy resources, opening up the Transboundary Hydrocarbon Agreement area in the western gap? A million and a half acres are now open to production on the Mexican and U.S. sides of the western gap. In South Carolina, we want offshore energy production. I want to applaud the Palmetto Policy Forum for a study they just put out that shows the economic impact. When people think about energy jobs and offshore, they think about the guys in the hard hats and the oily uniforms turning the drill on the derrick. But guess what? It is all the jobs that are created onshore to support that effort offshore. Those are the pipefitters and the welders and the widgetmakers and the auto body mechanics and the supply vessels and the heating and air repair guys that go out to the rigs and repair the heating and air and the refrigeration and other things that are going on out there because it is a way of life. Those guys are onshore, at home, and they are eating at their local restaurants and tipping their waitresses and going to their churches and tithing. They are joining the United Way and the chamber of commerce and sponsoring those ball teams. It is a trickle down. The first domino that falls is for us to allow offshore drilling. The bill we passed this week does a lot. I want to applaud the Energy and Commerce Committee, but I also want to applaud Doc Hastings and the Natural Resources Committee. It increases offshore production, increases onshore production. It opens up that Federal land that is currently off the table for oil and gas production, but also wind, solar, and transmission lines and all the things that happen, that is now off the table on Federal land out West. Look at a map of the West. There are a lot of sunny areas out there in the desert; but guess what? You own it. Your taxpayer dollars set it aside. It is Federal lands, but it is off-limits. Even if you believe in solar and wind power, you can't have that on Federal land because it is off the table for that type of production as well. This prevents duplicative hydraulic fracturing regulations. Guess what? We have got an abundance of natural gas in this country, and we are finding more and more every day onshore. We can build LNG terminals. We heard a great speech from the President of Ukraine today. If we could export LNG from America to Ukraine, lessen Ukraine's dependence on Russian gas and also export the technology that we have for fracturing, they want that technology because they want to lessen their dependence on Russian gas. It is because of a word that he mentioned over and over today, Mr. Speaker, and that was ``freedom.'' Freedom. Freedom from Russian gas and that dependence. Europe wants it because they are dependent on Russian gas as well. Let's export the LNG, the gas that we are producing in abundance in this country, and let's help our allies in Europe and Ukraine. All that we do, all the bills that we talked about, we have had an absent Senate when it comes to energy independence, and we have had an absent White House when it comes to energy independence, other than supporting Solyndra and other green initiatives and wasting taxpayer dollars. We need real things that work. It takes 24/7 base load power in this country to make the engines of the economy work. 24/7. What does that mean? Base load power, what does that mean? That means when you flip the light switch and the lights come on; and, when the companies that are manufacturing products all over this great land cut those machines on, this power supply is available to turn the engines of the economy, producing American jobs, producing American manufacturing items. That happens with 24/7 base load power that comes from coal, natural gas, hydro, that comes from nuclear power, all of the things we should support while we continue to work on the necessary components for wind and solar to actually work, and that is the storage capacity because wind and solar is intermittent. The sun doesn't always shine, and the wind doesn't always blow, but I will tell you what works, and that is the proven technologies of oil and gas, nuclear, hydro, the things that we are talking about in the bills we passed today that actually work. Jobs, energy, and our Founding Fathers. Let's put Americans to work. Let's unleash that innovative and entrepreneurial spirit. Let's have an energy-driven economy, and we can do it. South Carolina wants to be a part of that. Nebraska is already a part of that. Indiana--I have talked with Indiana folks that are here. South Carolina wants to be a part of that as well. I thank the gentleman for his leadership on this.

Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina

Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to this amendment, as I believe it is a plan which will not be successful. Ronald Reagan reminded us to carry ``a banner of no pale pastels, but bold colors which make it unmistakably clear where we stand'' on the issues. No offense, but I believe the plan before us is one of pale pastels when the world needed bold action by the leader of the free world. Who will we be supporting by arming unknown rebels in Syria? Will we not be getting involved in a Syrian civil war? If the fight is with ISIL--and I believe there must be a fight against these genocidal extremists--then let's take it to them in Iraq, begin by assisting the Kurds who have been doing the heavy lifting against ISIL after the Iraqis cut and ran. I could support boots on the ground once again in Iraq, reclaiming the ground for which so much American blood and treasure has been expended to liberate, but not arming unknown rebels. Do you remember Benghazi? We armed and assisted rebels there; and, now, al Qaeda controls Libya from Benghazi to Tripoli, even swimming in the U.S. Embassy swimming pool in Tripoli. We should not send $500 million or $1 to rebels in Syria, especially at a time when the Department of Defense and National Guard budgets are being cut here at home. I believe even the war-weary Americans are looking to support a plan from President Obama that is decisive, lethal to the enemies of freedom, and definitive. This plan is not it.

Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina

Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, before we go home for the August work period, I think it is important for this House to reaffirm to the world our support for Israel. Under President Obama, it would seem that America has switched sides from its historical support for Israel, which dates back to 1948. The President seems to want hostilities to end so bad that he and his supporting cast within the mainstream media fail to remember or point out that Hamas has been lobbing rockets into Israel from shortly after Israel's withdrawal from Gaza in 2005. In Secretary Kerry's mind, it would seem, a stop to hostilities means Israel must stop defending its people. But there is never mention of Hamas ending the constant barrage of rockets--22 red alerts have gone off thus far in Israel today. That is not 22 rockets. That is 22 separate events where rockets have been launched into Israel. This President seems more interested in appeasing Hamas, which is a terrorist organization, than he is in comprehending Israel's desire to end this threat to its people and its existence. This position put forward by the President and his Secretary of State, John Kerry, is an injustice and a betrayal toward a longtime friend and ally in the region. Israel deserves better, and they deserve more, Mr. President. As for me and my office and my house and my family, we will always stand with Israel.

Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina

Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina. Let's take this President to court because I believe we need to take whatever steps are necessary and in our power to rein in this administration and hold them accountable to the United States Constitution and citizens of the United States of America. The Founding Fathers gave us this recourse to restore the balance of power and uphold the rule of law. That is why this is so important for the legislative branch to reassert our authority, to make the law so he can enforce the law. May God continue to bless this body. May God continue to bless the men and women that serve this country. And may God continue to bless the United States of America.

Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I would just remind my colleague from Maryland who just spoke that, in my humble opinion, Harry Reid shut down the government. Mr. Speaker, let me explain for everybody watching at home across America what the separation of powers doctrine means. I know this is obvious for most Americans because we study it in school. But since our constitutional scholar President doesn't seem to get it, it apparently needs to be explained again. Our Constitution says that we, the legislative branch--this branch-- we write the laws. The President executes the laws. And the courts settle any dispute we may have. Got it? We write the laws. The President executes the laws. The court settles the disputes. Our Constitution does not say that the President gets to write his own laws. Our Founders knew that was a bad idea. They had seen kings wield that kind of power, and they knew they didn't want that for the new Nation. They understood that too much power in the hands of any one person or any one group of people would inevitably lead to tyranny. As Christian men of the day, they understood that since the Garden of Eden, man is fallen, and that fallen men, once they have a taste of power, they will always lust for more. They knew that ``Power corrupts; absolute power corrupts absolutely.'' So in their understanding of fallen man, the remedy was a system of checks and balances, and clearly delineated, but separate, powers divided among three equal branches of government. We write the laws. The President executes them. It should be simple, right? Mr. Speaker, we are here today because the President has failed us in two directions. He has failed to execute the laws we have written, and he has rewritten the laws on his own. I believe that is a breach of his oath of office to uphold the laws. So we are gathered here, as the first branch, the legislative branch, the branch that is closest to the people, to seek the judicial branch's help in reining in the power of an out-of-control executive branch, plain and simple. We are here specifically to bring legal action against the President of the United States to stop him from unilaterally rewriting the so-called Affordable Care Act. By the way, that is really a misnomer. There is nothing ``affordable'' about the Affordable Care Act, and the American people know it. But really, that is a discussion for another day. From the individual mandate to the business mandate to the waivers for Big Labor to the HHS regulations that were struck down by the Supreme Court, to the decision just last week to exempt the U.S. territories--how many people is that, 4 million people?--exempt 4 million more people from the law known as ObamaCare with just the action of the President's pen, time and time and time again, we have seen this President rewrite the law. But rewriting ObamaCare isn't only one of the ways this President has abused his power. Look at the mess on the southern border right now, a mess of the President's own making, thanks to his decision not to enforce the immigration law and his attempt to attempt to rewrite that law through a failed DACA regulation and so-called ``prosecutorial discretion.'' Last week, I sent the President 21 tweets which laid out the things that he could do to stop this mess at the border that are within the law, within his purview. And still, he continues to operate outside the law. And it is not just the border and ObamaCare. It is DOMA and the NLRB and an out-of-control EPA trying to backdoor cap-and-trade legislation, a regulatory war on coal, and the waters of the United States-- regulation after regulation, administrative action after action with no basis in real, actual bona fide law that this body has passed. This administration has chosen repeatedly to flout laws or to try to rewrite laws without going through the legislative process that our Founders set up for us. The Constitution, they are laying all over the place. Get a copy. Look at it. Understand the separation of powers. This Congress must use every power at our disposal to restore balance to our government and uphold the rule of law. We have voted repeatedly to use the power of the purse to cut off funding for unconstitutional activities within this administration. We have voted repeatedly, Mr. Speaker, to overturn bad regulations. We passed the ENFORCE Act, the REINS Act, and I have cosponsored numerous other efforts that repair our broken system of checks and balances in order to stop the overreaches of this administration. We must act today, and we must continue to act until this administration and this President relent and get it right. I support this resolution to take this President to court.

Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina

Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of former Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and The American Dream on his 66th birthday. This world renown Championship body builder, turned Movie Star Icon, to Governor of California is the antifascist of The American Dream. He is a champion for physical fitness and children's causes. He is living proof that hard work and believing in yourself has no limits in America. I ask that this poem penned in honor of his 66th birthday by Albert Carey Caswell be placed in the Record. 66 Reps, To Be the Best . . . 66 Reps! To Be The Best! Will we LEAD, or will we rest? Do we BUILD on our success? But To Be The Best! Will we fall, or will we CREST? Do we follow, or will we LEAD? Showing our world, what it is that she so NEEDS! Do we make our lives FULL, or shallow?

Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina

Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, on June 26, South Carolina and the United States lost a hero. Sergeant Bob Reasoner was a World War II United States Army Air Corps veteran and a tail gunner assigned to the 68th Squadron, with the famous 44th Bomber Group known as The Flying 8 Balls. The events of December 7, 1941, compelled Mr. Reasoner to serve in World War II, survive three life-threatening missions, a year in German POW camps, and 2\1/2\ years in a hospital undergoing multiple surgeries from his injuries. During Sergeant Reasoner's military career, he participated in 21 successful bombing missions over Germany and France. During the return flight of one of those missions, Bob's plane was unexpectedly diverted, ran out of fuel, and crashed in Wales. While he was at the hospital recuperating from his injuries, Bob was given the option to return to the United States but turned down that offer so he could continue to serve his country. On October 1, 1943, Sergeant Reasoner flew his last mission, during which his B-24 Liberator, the Black Jack, as it was known, was attacked and caught fire. Parachuting to the ground with his head engulfed in flames--now remember that Sergeant Reasoner was a tail gunner. He had a long way to travel from the rear of that aircraft as it burned, falling from the sky. But as he was parachuting down, he passed out from his injuries, and he woke up in a hospital. His head and his eyes were wrapped in bandages, and all he could hear was German. He was now a POW, captured by the German soldiers. His captors allowed him only a weeklong hospital stay before shuffling him between different POW camps over the next year. On his 26th birthday, September 26, 1944, he returned home to the United States of America. He told me, he said: ``That was the first time I felt safe. Seeing the Statue of Liberty was an amazing feeling because I knew then that I was home.'' Bob Reasoner earned three Purple Hearts for his heroic service to our country. But if Bob was still alive today, he would say that he wouldn't want his service defined by his numerous distinctions that he was awarded but, rather, he would want us to remember the 21 successful missions he was a part of to help secure freedom for this country and many other countries. I had the opportunity to meet Bob in my hometown of Clinton, South Carolina, where he was in a retirement home, and I heard his stories firsthand. And after talking to Bob, I went on to learn more about the heroic actions of the 44th Bomb Group. During my research, I came across a great compilation by Will Lundy, who was a ground crewman on the 67th Bomb Squadron of the 44th Bomb Group, called the Roll of Honor and Casualties. I recommend everyone look that up and read it. The stories are amazing. This compilation documents the heroic stories of these men who fought for our freedoms, including my friend, Bob Reasoner. He lived his life quietly among us, bearing the scars of war and service. His ear was mangled. His eyelids had been reconstructed. He bore the scars of numerous burns. I am especially grateful for Mr. Reasoner's bravery in protecting the United States, and I grieve with his family and friends during the loss of a great man, an American soldier and a true American hero. May God bless the men and women who served in World War II. May God continue to bless those who serve our country and have served our country, and may God continue to bless the United States of America.

Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina

Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina. I thank the gentleman from North Carolina. This is a picture of the State newspaper in South Carolina. It says: Oil Exploration OK'd Off South Carolina and the Entire East Coast. The Department of the Interior has actually said: You know what? We are going to allow some seismic to actually happen off the coast of North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Virginia so we can see what is out there. This is good news, America. This is good news because we are actually going to see that there are recoverable resources of our coast. And I ask the question again of the Americans that may be tuned in: How much more is your regular travel costing, with gasoline prices being well north of $3 a gallon in this country? Or to ask a different way: How much less money do you have in your wallet after you travel back and forth to work--your normal travel and not summertime vacation travel--your normal travels from home to work and back, taking the kids to school, taking them to the ball games, going to church, going to the grocery store, all the things that you do, how much less money do you have? I know in North Carolina and South Carolina, our constituents have experienced that. Another member of the House Energy Action Team from Texas--and Texas gets it, because, God bless Texas, with Spindletop, Eagle Ford, Barnett, and a lot of other resources, they understand energy and they understand the jobs that come about from energy production. I yield to Mr. Weber of Texas, because I know he has got a great story to tell.

Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina

Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina. But I know the issue you are going to talk about tonight, and that is on that southern border. I know that is on that gentleman's mind because that southern border is porous, and we have no idea, America, who is coming in our country. You are only seeing the 1 to 2 percent of the folks that have actually violated our national sovereignty by crossing our border illegally, and that is the children. But the other 98 percent of the people are not children, and they are not all Hispanics. Some are African and some are Middle Eastern. I just got a notice a little while ago from Randy Weber from Texas. He showed me on his phone. He was with the Border Patrol this weekend, and they caught someone from Asia who couldn't speak Spanish and couldn't speak American. What is he coming for? Is he coming because there is violence in Guatemala or Honduras? I don't think so. What is he coming to this country for? I want to thank the gentleman from Texas for his leadership on focusing on this border. Let's keep America secure. Let's secure our border. God bless Texas and Governor Rick Perry for putting the National Guard down there and taking matters into his own hands, because the guy at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue has failed America and failed us in securing our border. So I want to thank the gentleman for his time, and I want to encourage him to keep pounding that rock because you crack a rock--a big rock--by hitting it in the same spot over and over and over. Eventually, it will crack. I thank the gentleman.

Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina. I thought the gentleman from Texas wanted to talk about energy because I have had the conversation with the gentleman from Texas. I understand it is a passion of his.