Chet Edwards

Mr. EDWARDS of Texas

Mr. EDWARDS of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I now yield 2 minutes to my friend and colleague, the gentleman from Washington (Mr. McDermott).

Mr. EDWARDS of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to my friend and colleague, the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Bishop).

Mr. EDWARDS of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield the balance of my time to the gentleman from California (Mr. Farr), who is the vice chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction and Veterans Affairs in the House.

Mr. EDWARDS of Texas

Mr. EDWARDS of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I send to the desk a privileged concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 210) and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. EDWARDS of Texas

Mr. EDWARDS of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor our friend and colleague, John McHugh. After a distinguished 16 year career in Congress, John now embarks on a new phase of his public service as Secretary of the United States Army. For many years, it has been my privilege to work with John as Co- Chair of the House Army Caucus. Together, we have worked to champion the needs of the United States Army in a time of great challenge for our country. John McHugh's commitment to our service men and women and their families is second to none, and I have great confidence that he will serve them and our nation well as Army Secretary. John has always earned the respect of his colleagues because he treated others with respect. He set a standard of public service that all of us would do well to follow. While this House is losing a valuable member, the country is gaining a principled advocate for those who wear the uniform. I wish him all the best in the years ahead.

Mr. EDWARDS of Texas

Mr. EDWARDS of Texas. Madam Speaker, I wish I could yield more time to the chairman, Mr. Dicks, to continue his comments. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for your comments and for your leadership on this legislation, protecting our national parks and our environment and for being a real champion of America's military in our Nation's defense. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2996 because this bill will provide much-needed funding to improve clean and safe water infrastructure for our cities and our rural communities. It will repair and maintain our treasured national parks, and it will protect our environment from pollution and wildfires. On the issue of natural gas production, one that is important to me and I believe many Americans, it is important that this bill's efforts to safeguard our environment will not infringe upon our Nation's ability to harness clean and domestically produced natural gas. This bill encourages EPA to do a study on the relationship between hydraulic fracturing and drinking water. Hydraulic fracturing is a crucial process for natural gas production, and it has been in practice for over 60 years. It is imperative that continued research is conducted, as this bill language report includes, through the best available science, science that is independent and peer-reviewed, while consulting with other agencies and the States, as has been done in the past. I urge my colleagues to support this strong legislation.

Mr. EDWARDS of Texas

Mr. EDWARDS of Texas. Mr. Speaker, this bipartisan bill will greatly improve our Nation's water infrastructure, robustly fund vital energy research and help protect our Nation from the threat of nuclear terrorism. The bottom line is that it will create jobs, strengthen our economy and protect our Nation. The bill provides $5.4 billion for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to address our Nation's vitally important water infrastructure needs. It moves us forward in funding the construction and maintenance of our Nation's ports and navigational waterways, which are crucial to our economy and international trade. H.R. 3183 also makes great strides in protecting our communities from natural disasters by providing $2 billion for flood protection efforts. Also included is $27.1 billion to fund the Department of Energy's efforts to decrease our reliance on foreign sources of oil and increase our investment in technologies that use energy more efficiently and to expand energy sources right here at home. While providing $2.2 billion for research into energy efficiency and renewable energy efforts such as solar, wind, biofuels and hydrogen, this bill also invests in conventional energy sources by providing $787 million for nuclear energy research and $672 million for fossil energy research. Mr. Speaker, there is no more important mission for our country, for this Congress, than preventing nuclear weapons from falling into the hands of terrorists, and this bill provides $2.1 billion for our Nation's nuclear nonproliferation efforts at home and abroad. Why? To keep the American family safe. Our Nation's communities, national economy and security are strengthened by this bill, which is why I urge all of my colleagues, Republicans and Democrats alike, to support it.

Mr. EDWARDS of Texas

Mr. EDWARDS of Texas. Mr. Speaker, one of the greatest privileges of my life was to have met Dr. Norman Borlaug several years ago because of his position as a distinguished professor at Texas A&M University, my alma mater in my congressional district. It is also an honor for me today to rise in honor of Dr. Borlaug whose actions helped save the lives of a billion people and helped prevent untold conflicts across the globe. To me, he is an inspiration. To others, he was a husband, father, grandfather, Nobel Peace Prize laureate and Congressional Gold Medal recipient. I believe it could be argued that he was America's greatest ambassador to the world. Most of us hope to make some difference for our communities. Dr. Borlaug made our world a better place. Growing up on an Iowa farm, Dr. Borlaug went from cultivating fields to consulting global leaders all with the laudable, noble goal of feeding the hungry. Dr. Borlaug once said, ``Peace cannot be built on empty stomachs.'' For his accomplishments, he was rightfully awarded the Nobel Peace Price in 1970 for the way in which he used agricultural productivity to help create stability and prevent conflict. In 1984, as has been mentioned, Dr. Borlaug joined my alma mater, Texas A&M, as a distinguished professor of international agriculture. His work at the university and around the world is recognized and continued on by those at the Norman Borlaug Institute for International Agriculture whose employees are currently working in conflict areas such as Iraq and Afghanistan to provide assistance and food to those in need. Despite his unrivaled achievements, Dr. Borlaug maintained a genuine sense of humility. He is truly an American hero whose dedication to agriculture positively changed the landscape of our world.

Mr. EDWARDS of Texas

Mr. EDWARDS of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the dedicated public service of our friend and former colleague, Preston M. ``Pete'' Geren, III. Tomorrow, September 18, will be the last day of Mr. Geren's service as Secretary of the United States Army, but I am confident it will not be his last day of service to the country he has served so well. Pete Geren's service to country began 26 years ago as an aid to the distinguished Senator from Texas, Lloyd Bentsen. The depth and breadth of Pete's public service since then has been rarely matched in American history. For 8 years, this native son of Fort Worth served the 12th District of Texas here in the U.S. House of Representatives. As a member of the Armed Services, Science and Technology, and Public Works and Transportation Committees, Congressman Geren earned the respect of Democrats and Republicans alike as an intelligent, hardworking, and effective Member of Congress. He championed, among many others, the causes of a strong national defense, fiscal responsibility, and bipartisanship. Pete Geren earned the respect of his constituents in Texas and his colleagues here in Washington because he always treated others with respect. He personified the Golden Rule each and every day, and in doing so, set a standard of public service that we would all be well served to follow. I will never forget a December day in the late 1990s, standing right on the back row here, when House votes were unexpectedly added for a Friday afternoon. Pete was torn between going back to Texas, where his family was, and seeing his daughter in her school Christmas play or staying in Washington for the unscheduled vote. This devoted father agonized over that decision and ultimately decided that he had an obligation to cast a vote on behalf of his constituents. It was not long after that that Pete made the decision to retire from Congress. And I will always believe that his love of family and the missed Christmas play that day strongly impacted his decision to retire. Four years later, his country called on Pete Geren once again. A lifetime Democrat, Pete was called by the George W. Bush administration to serve in the Pentagon. 2001 began a remarkable chapter of service to our Nation's defense. From 2001 to 2009, during a time of war and a critical time in our Nation's history, Pete Geren served as Special Assistant to the Secretary of Defense in the areas of interagency initiatives, legislative affairs, and special projects. He then was appointed to serve as the Acting Secretary of the Air Force, and later as Acting Secretary of the Army. In March of 2007, Pete Geren was confirmed as United States Secretary of the Army. In that position, he championed the cause of improving the quality of life for every Army soldier and every Army family. For years to come, because of the dedicated leadership of Secretary Geren, soldiers will live in better housing. They and their families will receive better health care, and they can know that their children will attend quality schools. Pete Geren, as Secretary of the Army, set up covenants between communities and the military installations in which they existed. Pete Geren's accomplishments are too numerous, Mr. Speaker, to list them all today, but I think one of his greatest legacies will be that he proved that in the rough-and-tumble world of politics in Washington, D.C., one can succeed at the highest levels of public service through hard work, respect for others, solid integrity, and genuine humility. Pete Geren is living proof that public service can and should be a noble calling. I wish him, his wife, Becky, and their family all the best in the years ahead.

Mr. EDWARDS of Texas

Mr. EDWARDS of Texas. Madam Speaker, I rise as an original co-sponsor of this bill, which honors a group of courageous women pilots--all of whom earned their wings in Texas. During World War II, Women Airforce Service Pilots, or WASP, were stationed at 2 air bases located in Waco, Texas: Waco Army Air Field and Blackland Army Air Base. One of the 38 members of WASP who died while flying for their country was killed in Waco while flight-testing a BT-13 to make sure that it had been properly repaired. Bettie Mae Scott was killed on July 8, 1944, her body sent home in a cheap pine box, with not so much as an American flag draping her coffin. Madam Speaker, my district not only played an important part in the history of the WASP, my district is also the home of WASP Deanie Parrish, a Martin Marauder D-26 pilot, who towed a sleeved target behind her aircraft while a B-24 would pass by and gunnery trainees in the turrets would practice for combat by firing live ammunition, using color coated bullets, at the target. Wings Across America, founded by Deanie's daughter, Nancy Parrish, located at Baylor University, has played a key role in the creation and implementation of the bill we have before us today. Along with interviewing over 100 WASP, creating the website, ``WASP on the Web,'' founding the National WASP WWII Museum in Sweetwater, Texas in 2003 and creating all the exhibits for the opening of the museum in 2005, successfully nominating the WASP for the Texas Aviation Hall of Fame, and designing and creating the ``Fly Girls of WWII'' WASP exhibit, which is now on display at the Women's Memorial at Arlington, these 2 volunteers have worked tirelessly to educate and inspire America with the history of the WASP. This bill honors the WASP and place the WASP history in the national spotlight, where I believe it rightly belongs.

Mr. EDWARDS of Texas

Mr. EDWARDS of Texas. Madam Speaker, I consider myself blessed to have known Congressman Bill Hefner. He was a good, decent and caring person, and I will miss him dearly. While this man of faith has gone on to a better place now, his work here on Earth will continue to enrich the lives of millions of American citizens. There are untold thousands of our troops and families who are living in better housing today because Bill Hefner was their champion. He not only worked hard for his beloved Fort Bragg, North Carolina; he fought for a better quality of life for servicemen and -women and their families wherever they might live in the world. As chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction, Chairman Hefner saw to it that the service and sacrifice of our troops would be honored in a meaningful way. While Members of Congress sometimes take ourselves too seriously, Bill Hefner was a voice of self-deprecating humor and humility. He took his work seriously, but never himself too seriously. In doing so, he helped us keep our proper perspective on ourselves and our work here. He used to joke that he had worked hard for over 20 years to take a perfectly safe Democratic seat in North Carolina and turn it into a marginal one. That was a reflection of his humor and his humility, because the truth was that any political challenges that Bill Hefner might have ever faced were because he was a person of courage. As Mr. Obey pointed out, in 1981 he was one of the very few Southern Democrats who voted against the popular Reagan tax cuts because he felt they would lead to large Federal deficits and ultimately undermine programs important to everyday working Americans. As long as I knew him, he always did what he thought was right for his district, for our great country and for average working families. In an age of special interests, Bill Hefner's cause was to fight for the interests of everyday, hardworking families, the kind of people who fight our fires, protect our streets, defend our shores, educate our children and make our factories run. He believed to his core in the dignity of hardworking everyday American citizens. Even after he retired from Congress, Bill would often call me, and he called when he was concerned that the views of working Americans were not being considered in Washington, D.C. Whether in office or out of office, Bill Hefner lived his faith by always being his brother's keeper. Bill Hefner was a special personal friend and a mentor to me. While I cannot fill his shoes or come close to it, I'm a better Congressman and a better person for having known him and having learned from him. I cherish the many, many personal conversations we had right here on the floor, Madam Speaker. I will always be grateful to the very sage advice he gave me on a golf course one day when he and I happened to be partnered against then-President Clinton and the President's partner, when on the 15th hole in a very close match, the President had about a 3\1/2\-foot putt. I was not going to give it to the President, and Chairman Hefner called me over and put me under his arm and said, Son, let me just tell you something. Right now we have this line item veto in existence, and the Military Construction bill is sitting on the President's desk for signature, and you represent Fort Hood. I gave the President his putt, and the Fort Hood soldiers got their barracks thanks to the sage advice of Bill Hefner. The moment of so many wonderful moments, but the moment I shall never forget, was on June 4 of 1998 when Bill Hefner stood in this very same spot. We were debating an issue of the school prayer constitutional amendment. And I, consistent with my belief in the constitutional principle of church-State separation, was opposing the Istook constitutional amendment. During that process I was personally attacked by one particular faith-based group that claimed by not wanting to amend the First Amendment to the Constitution I was somehow un-American and even worse yet, I was accused of being un-Texan. Leave it to Bill Hefner, the man of the South, the gentleman from North Carolina who sang gospel music his entire life, a man of deep faith, leave it to him to come to this very spot to stand up and defend the integrity of his colleague who had been challenged. That was Bill Hefner, a man of deepest integrity. And that is why I will always revere him and what he stood for. To Stacye and Shelly, his daughters, and to Nancy, his widow, I would simply say that if my two sons had every right to be half as proud of me as you have a right to be proud of your father and your husband, I would consider my life a success. May God forever keep our friend, our colleague, and a great American, Bill Hefner, forever in His loving arms. Thank you.

Mr. EDWARDS of Texas

Mr. EDWARDS of Texas. I thank the gentlewoman from Guam. Mr. Speaker, for over 60,000 years Mother Nature preserved a unique site in the world known as the Waco Mammoth Site. Now it is our responsibility to be good stewards of this historic site. Located in my hometown of Waco, Texas, the site represents the only recorded instance of a nursery herd of Pleistocene-era mammoths in the United States. It is the largest known concentration in North America and possibly the world of Pleistocene-era Columbian mammoths, dying from possibly the same event some 68,000 years ago. According to the Department of the Interior, the Waco Mammoth Site is a national treasure. That is why, after an extensive study, it recommended that the site be designated a national monument and made a part of the National Park System. My bill, H.R. 1376, would put into effect the Department of Interior recommendations. Specifically, the Waco Mammoth National Monument Establishment Act of 2009 will establish in Texas the Waco Mammoth National Monument as a unit within the National Park System. It would authorize the construction of administration and visitor use facilities on the site and instruct the Secretary of the Interior to prepare a management plan for the monument in consultation with Baylor University and the City of Waco. The National Park Service recommended that the most effective and efficient approach for ensuring the long-term protection of the site and maximizing opportunities for public enjoyment and education would be for the National Park Service to lead a partnership with the City of Waco and Baylor University. Under this arrangement, the National Park Service would take the lead responsibility for the protection, scientific study, and visitor enjoyment of the site while enlisting partners in this effort. The partners would take the responsibility for initiating additional recreational and educational opportunities at the site. First discovered in 1978, the Waco Mammoth Site is a unique find of national and international importance. To date, 24 Columbian mammoths, including articulated skeletons, a giant tortoise and a camel, have been discovered; and the potential for future mammoth discoveries is high with research activities ongoing at the 109-acre site. It has become an area of significant study within the archaeological community and, as living history, has the capacity to serve as an educational resource for people of all ages for generations to come. For nearly a decade, I have been proud to join with and support the efforts of the City of Waco, Baylor University and the Waco Mammoth Foundation to fulfill our dream of having the Waco Mammoth Site become a national monument, enjoying the ranks of American national monuments such as the Statue of Liberty. As with all positive accomplishments in life, this project has been a team effort. I especially want to salute the citizens of Waco for their vision, their dedication and generosity in supporting this project. I can still remember, Mr. Speaker, my friend Sam Jack McGlasson standing in my driveway in the 1990s, telling me about this site for the very first time. While he and Liz are no longer with us, their vision and donation of land started us down this path over a decade ago, a path envisioned by them and former Baylor professor Calvin Smith. I remember Buddy Bostick, an early contributor to this project, telling me that we had a moral obligation to preserve for future generations what Mother Nature had protected for thousands of years. That led to my passing legislation in 2002 to have a resource study done by the Department of Interior and to later passing $400,000 in seed money for the project. When this project was bogged down a few years ago, I remember Pastor John Wood, my father-in-law, holding a meeting at his home which resulted in a renewed focus to get things moving forward. With the incredible leadership of Gloria Young, Waco's citizens raised over $3 million of their own money to start building a permanent protective structure so that rains and floods would not ruin this site forever. Citizens such as Gloria and F.M. Young, Paul and Jane Meyer, Gayle Lacy, Tommye Lou Davis, Karla Leeper, Don Moes and others have given generously of their own time and their resources to protect this unique, historic site for the citizens of our country and the world. That is the kind of spirit of giving that makes me proud to call Waco my home. This bill would not be on the House floor today were it not for the tremendous bipartisan efforts of so many. With apologies to anyone whose name I do not mention, I must especially thank and congratulate Waco Mayor Virginia DuPuy, City Manager Larry Groth and his staff, and Ellie Caston at Baylor University and everyone at Baylor who worked with her. Their efforts have been tireless over many years and instrumental to the project's success. Hardworking Federal employees, who often do not get thanked, deserve our gratitude for the role they have played in doing the Federal resource study. So thanks go to those at the National Park Service and the Department of the Interior for whom protecting special national resources is not a job but a labor of love. Last, but certainly not least, I want to express my appreciation to Natural Resources Committee Chairman Nick Rahall and his ranking member, Doc Hastings, notwithstanding the legitimate principled question that he raised a minute ago, which I will address in just a moment. I also want to thank Raul Grijalva and Rob Bishop, the chairman and ranking member of the National Parks, Forests and Public Lands Subcommittee. Without their support, this bill's passage would not be possible; and I thank them for protecting America's natural resources. Mr. Speaker, what excites me the most is knowing that generations of school children will learn firsthand at the Waco Mammoth Site about science and natural history. It will be an outdoor classroom where children can discover the richness of God's world in which we all live. At this unique site in the world, they can find that learning can be fun and a life-long adventure. When children and parents of all ages visit Waco and see the bull mammoth desperately trying to push its calf above the raging storm waters 68,000 years ago, we will all be touched by knowing that the power of parental instinct is a common bond of mankind and Mother Nature. For the benefit of future generations, I ask that my colleagues join with me in supporting H.R. 1376. Mr. Speaker, since I was not fully aware of Mr. Hastings' principled questions about this, I would just add a comment or two about that. I have been a long-standing supporter of private property rights. That's why I think that the question he has raised is a very principled one. What I can say to the gentleman is that this has been supported by Democrats and Republicans; and to my knowledge, over a period of 10 years, along with the support of Baylor University and the City of Waco and our community leaders, there has not been a controversy about private property being encroached upon by this project. I would just say to the gentleman, if there is any way he could bring himself to support this bill, I would, in good faith before we move forward in the Senate, sit down with him and discuss how we could address this issue.

Mr. EDWARDS of Texas. I would be glad to yield to the gentleman.

Mr. EDWARDS of Texas. To respond, if I could say to the gentleman, again, I have worked consistently. I may not be from the West. I am from the Southwest, though, and private property rights are a fundamental value in my district. Again, I can assure the gentleman, I have worked for 10 years on this project, again, with leading community leaders, elected officials at the city and county level, Judge Lewis and County Commissioners' Court even contributed $100,000 of public money to this project along with the $3 million in private money we raised. It's been on the front wages of the Waco newspaper for years. This is the first time I have heard about any potential controversy regarding a buffer zone. I do respect and understand the gentleman's concern about national policy. Can I ask, have you heard from individuals from Waco in terms of specific concerns about this bill?

Mr. EDWARDS of Texas. I would be glad to.

Mr. EDWARDS of Texas. I will just say, Mr. Speaker, I respect the gentleman's questions. I certainly respect his concerns about protecting private property rights. I would just urge my colleagues-- with respect to the questions he has raised--I would urge them because of the decade-long support and in my community--and this site is in my district--the broad bipartisan support for this bill, the many reasons I have mentioned in my floor statement why this bill needs to become law, and the sooner the better. Mother Nature has protected this for over 60,000 years. There is risk of rains and--well, we're in the middle of a drought right now. Sometimes we have counties with drought and flood relief requests in at the same time. A massive flood in this area could put the entire project and all of its treasures at risk. I would plead with the gentleman, to either himself or his colleagues, to find a way to support this bill and let's find a way to work together, which I would be glad to do as this bill goes to the Senate.

Mr. EDWARDS of Texas. I thank the gentleman again for his principled questions raised. I look forward to working with him. I would just ask my colleagues, both Republican and Democratic alike, since this bill is on the suspension calendar today and requires a super majority to pass, I'd ask my colleagues to respect the wishes of the citizens of my hometown of Waco who've worked on a completely bipartisan and nonpartisan basis for over a decade and been looking forward to this bill passing today. And my commitment to the gentleman will be to work in good faith as this bill goes to the Senate to try to address, if there are local concerns in our areas about buffer zones and protecting private property rights, I'd welcome partnering with the gentleman for that purpose.

Mr. EDWARDS of Texas

Mr. EDWARDS of Texas. Madam Speaker, to honor the request of a group of citizens from Burleson, Texas in my district, I rise today to enter into the Record the following resolution: The Burleson Declaration When, in the course of human events it becomes necessary for ``we the people'' of the United States to remind our federal government of it's constitutional limits, duty demands that we communicate our grievances and petition for redress under the First Amendment of the United States Constitution. We begin by reaffirming the core values on which our forefathers founded this Constitutional Republic. We hold these truths to be self evident--that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights our forefathers instituted a limited federal government which derives its just powers from the consent of the governed--but the history of our Federal government is one of continual over-reaching beyond it's constitutional mandate to secure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity. We are therefore peaceably assembled here in Burleson, Texas on this April 15th, 2009 to demand that the Federal government immediately cease it's abridgement of the People's rights, and the state's rights. We call on our District 17 U.S. Representative Chet Edwards to read this our petition for redress on the House floor so that it may be entered into the official record of the House. We call on our U.S. Senators Kay Bailey Hutchison and John Cornyn to enter our petition into the Senate record. We call on President Barak Hussein Obama to veto all legislation and desist from Executive Orders which contravene the will of the people herein expressed. Whereas, the encouragement of private and public debt by the federal government has brought America to the brink of financial devastation, and has made us a debtor nation; Whereas, history proves government spending has never succeeded in curing an economic downturn, but rather serves only to deepen and prolong it, snowballing debt for future calamity; Whereas, government takeovers of banks and financial institutions move America ever further from the free- enterprise principles that have brought the nation prosperity for 233 years, and bring it closer to Socialism; Whereas, bailouts of private corporations represent a counterproductive response to what is, essentially, a government-induced crisis, and effectively make the President the CEO of private corporations; Whereas, the current level of irresponsible government spending is bankrupting this country, burdening our children and great-grandchildren with never-ending debt, and making the United States a servant to lender nations such as Communist China; Whereas, redistribution of wealth by government for the purpose of achieving ``social justice'' is immoral and a proven failure: We hereby demand an end to all further ``stimulus'' spending, corporate bailouts, ``earmarks,'' pork projects, welfare programs, higher tax rates and attempts to nationalize industries. We reject socialism, no matter how it is packaged. And we pledge to hold accountable any and all elected officials who continue to pursue this course that is rapidly leading America to ruin. We remind the government that we are guaranteed a Republican form of Government in the constitution. (Article 4, Section 4) We hereby petition Congress to repeal the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 which unconstitutionally delegated to the Executive Branch the spending decision of 700 Billion dollars. We call on the government to immediately divest itself of GM, AIG, and all private corporations, and to provide an exact accounting of all TARP funds spent to date. We demand the repeal of H.R. 1106, which forces American families pay the mortgage for those who received loans they did not qualify for. We petition Congress to repeal the Omnibus Appropriations Act of 2009 (H.R. 1105), and that the budget bill under consideration be killed which has a net tax hike of $1.35 trillion. We petition Congress for passage of H.R. 450 the Enumerated Powers Act, to require Congress to specify the source of authority under the United States Constitution for the enactment of laws, and for other purposes. We petition Congress for a final end to the death tax which effectively double taxes every citizen's income and usurps our right to transfer wealth to our posterity. This abridges our constitutional right to be safe in our effects, papers and property. We reject the cap-and-trade energy tax, which Candidate Obama admitted would ``cause electricity rates to skyrocket.'' We reject the Food Safety Modernization Act of 2009 which will force onerous certification and inspection requirements on family farms and could make private vegetable gardens unlawful and turn the farmers market into a black market. (H.R. 875) We reject the deceptively named Employee Free Choice Act which takes from the American worker the right to privately ballot whether to organize labor, or not, and makes them subject to union intimidation and bullying. (H.R. 800) We reject the so called ``Ted Kennedy Serve America Act'' which forces our youth into involuntary servitude and subjects them to years of indoctrination. This is a violation of the 13th Amendment to our constitution which abolished slavery and involuntary servitude except when duly convicted of a crime. (H.R. 1388) We reject all encroachment upon our 2nd Amendment right to keep and bear arms. An armed populace is the greatest preservative of the Republic against tyrants. We reject all attempts to limit access to ammunition. We reject the reinstatement of the Failed 1994 Gun and Magazine ban. As Ronald Wilson Reagan has said: ``There are those in America today who have come to depend absolutely on government for their security. And when government fails they seek to rectify that failure [by giving] government more power . . . at the expense of the Constitution. . . . in their willingness to give up their arms in the name of safety, they are really giving up their protection from what has always been the chief source of despotism--government.'' We reject government run Health Care which would give bureaucrats the power to ration health care. This leads to an Orwellian society where government ultimately decides the time and circumstance of every citizen's death. Finally, we reject the current `Create a Crisis' method of controlling the people of the United States. As Texas Congressman Ron Paul correctly stated, ``Whenever something terrible happens, people reflexively demand that government do something. This impulse almost always leads to bad laws and the loss of liberty.'' We say that we do not trust in the Nanny-state, we choose instead to believe in the Constitution, in our fellow Americans, in the free enterprise system, and in our God. To these principles we pledge our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor, and witness our determination by our signature affixed below. We demand that our elected representatives make it their highest priority to address these grievances or face certain expulsion from office, and we strongly suggest they add their signature to ours. Signed in Burleson, Texas, April 15th, 2009 by WE THE

Mr. EDWARDS of Texas

Mr. EDWARDS of Texas. Mr. Speaker, we have a moral obligation to not drown our children in a sea of national debt, and that is why I'm strongly supporting this pay-as-you-go legislation. I believe history will show that one of the worst mistakes made by the Republican-led Congress of the past decade was to not extend the Federal PAYGO rules in 2002. The facts speak for themselves. We went from a projected 10- year Federal surplus of $5.6 trillion to a deficit of $4.5 trillion, an astounding $10 trillion fiscal u-turn. For the good of our children and our country's future, it is time to correct that mistake and to see that it never happens again. The pay-as-you-go principle is one that American families and businesses understand. It's common sense, and they get it. Unfortunately, some of the Members of Congress who are the architects of the largest deficits in American history, those who created the deficits they now rail against on a daily basis, don't get it. In speech after speech, they sing the siren song of fiscal responsibility, yet today they will vote against the commonsense pay-as-you-go law. I'm proud to have led the fight to make this new pay-as-you-go bill a permanent law, not a temporary one. The PAYGO principle makes sense for this Congress and for all future Congresses. Had it been made permanent in the 1990s, our national debt today would be trillions less and our children's future far brighter. We cannot correct overnight the irresponsible fiscal decisions of the past decade, but with this PAYGO bill as the permanent law of the land, we will begin the important process of reducing deficits and balancing the Federal budget. That, more than any speech, is what our children and our country deserve.

Mr. EDWARDS of Texas

Mr. EDWARDS of Texas. Mr. Speaker, earlier this afternoon, on vote 576, I intended to vote ``yes,'' and on 577, my intention was to vote ``no.''

Mr. EDWARDS of Texas

Mr. EDWARDS of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I'd like to thank Chairman Serrano for his kind comments and for his leadership for including two key provisions in this bill I strongly supported. First, this bill holds the U.S. Treasury Department accountable for how it invests taxpayer funds under the TARP program. Language included in the bill at my request mirrors my bill, H.R. 2832, which directs the Treasury Secretary to report back to Congress by December of this year on their plans to repay taxpayers the money they have invested in the TARP program. The language also requires the Treasury to submit to Congress the estimates, the likely gains and losses, from those investments. Our efforts to shore up the financial system must be accompanied by greater accountability and strict oversight to ensure taxpayer dollars are being spent wisely and effectively. The American taxpayers have a right to know how their tax dollars are being invested and when they will be repaid. Second, the bill adds $92 million to the budget of the SEC and for the first time specifies that $4.4 million of SEC funding should be used by the Office of Inspector General, increasing their staff by 140 investigators, lawyers and analysts to investigate and prosecute corporate crime. The Americans want greedy Wall Street criminals who helped cause this recession investigated and punished for their crimes. By increasing enforcement at the SEC, we will send a strong message that if you rob innocent investors of their retirement and college savings you will spend the rest of your life sharing a prison cell with criminals like Bernie Madoff. I thank Chairman Serrano for including these two important provisions in this legislation and urge the bill's passage.

Mr. EDWARDS of Texas

Mr. EDWARDS of Texas. Madam Chair, I rise to claim the time in strong opposition to this ill-advised amendment.

Mr. EDWARDS of Texas. I would like to begin by yielding to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Ortiz), the chairman of the House Armed Services Readiness Subcommittee.

Mr. EDWARDS of Texas. Madam Chair, reclaiming the rest of my time, I have great respect for the principled position of Mr. Flake. I disagree with it. He believes that basically the administration should decide in 100 percent of the cases where America's tax dollars should go. I believe article I of the Constitution gives the Congress the responsibility for that. And I feel very strongly that, while he has a principled position, he misstates and inaccurately states the process by which these project decisions were made. These were made based on what was right for our military troops and their families. The vast majority of these congressionally designated projects have gone through the Department of Defense approval process, and the Department of Defense said they were needed. Now, he said he simply wanted to strike the earmarks. Despite his intentions, let me tell you the impact, because it's not simple intentions; it's actual impact where amendments make a difference. If his amendment passes, we will cut $56 million for 16 National Guard readiness centers and Reserve centers. We will cut $44 million for nine military ranges and training facilities. We will cut $83 million for 16 quality-of-life facilities such as housing, clinics, and military family centers. We will cut $98 million for 16 projects to improve force protection, facilities for emergency responders, and flightline safety. We will cut $86 million for 18 equipment maintenance and storage facilities and $47 million for seven military research and testing facilities. We will cut a project to provide properly sized and configured storage space for Mark-48 torpedoes at one of our key submarine bases, and a new hardstand for weapons maintenance at the Marine Corps' East Coast Logistics Base will be lost. The gentleman would cut a new chapel complex to replace more than 15,000 square feet of trailers and World War II-era facilities. And he would cut a platoon-sized machine gun range at the Army's Joint Readiness Training Center. I know he has no intention of harming our military--I would never accuse him of that--but in my opinion, he misrepresented the process by which these decisions were made. And I think not only Democrats, but my Republican colleagues, would agree that this has been a fair, legitimate process. And by the way, it should be no surprise to anyone that Members of Congress who ask to be on the Armed Services Committee and the Military Construction Appropriations Committee are Members who represent military installations. So the allegation that because they get a higher percentage of congressionally designated funding compared to other Members somehow suggests a spoils system is just simply dead wrong, and I reject it categorically. I would yield any time to my friend, the ranking member, Mr. Wamp, for any comments he would care to make.

Mr. EDWARDS of Texas. I will yield the gentleman 15 seconds.