J. Forbes

Mr. FORBES

Mr. FORBES. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. FORBES

Mr. FORBES. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on the subject of our Special Order.

Mr. FORBES. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity to come to the floor tonight to discuss our first freedom, religious liberty, as we recognize the 226th anniversary of the signing of our Constitution on September 17, Constitution Day. I'm hosting this special order as founder and cochairman of the Congressional Prayer Caucus, a bipartisan group of more than 90 Members of the House of Representatives dedicated to protecting religious freedom in America and preserving our Nation's rich spiritual heritage. I cochair this caucus with my good friend, Mr. Mike McIntyre, a Democratic Member from North Carolina, who, unfortunately, cannot be with us this evening. Faith and religious freedom are not party-line issues. Members of the Congressional Prayer Caucus gather each week in the United States Capitol to pray for our Nation. We leave political labels at the door, and we join in prayer for one another and our country. On September 17, our Nation will mark the 226th anniversary of the signing of the Constitution in Independence Hall, Philadelphia. The Bill of Rights, the first 10 amendments to the Constitution, was soon to follow. Religious freedom is the very first thing named in the First Amendment. It is our first freedom, and it's a fundamental human right. But as President Ronald Reagan so accurately observed, freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. Our freedoms are fragile, and how quickly we forget their importance. An annual survey by the Newseum Institute's First Amendment Center revealed that only 24 percent of Americans are aware that religious freedom is a First Amendment right. We are forgetting our first freedom. It is this amnesia that results in the subjugation of the fundamental right of religious freedom. Just last month, a justice of the New Mexico Supreme Court recognized that their decision to uphold fines against a wedding photographer who declined to photograph a same-sex wedding meant that the photographer is now ``compelled by law to compromise the very religious beliefs that inspire'' her life. But the justice called this trampling of religious freedom ``the price of citizenship.'' The price of citizenship? No. Religious freedom is the very thing the Pilgrims sought when they landed in Plymouth and struggled to survive in a new and unknown world. Religious freedom was so important to our Founding Fathers that it was the first freedom they named as bearing protection from the government. It's not the price of citizenship; it is the hallmark of the American spirit of freedom. The American people recognize that the New Mexico Supreme Court's decision is wrong. A recent Rasmussen poll revealed that 85 percent of Americans believe that a wedding photographer who has a deeply held religious belief about marriage has a right to decline to photograph a same-sex ceremony. Even still, we see weekly reminders that religious freedom is being trampled in the name of tolerance. The Supreme Court's decision in United States v. Windsor has given validation to the basely false argument that the only reason anyone has to support traditional marriage is bigotry. We've forgotten President Obama's observation in 2012 that there are people of goodwill on both sides of the marriage debate. Over the last few months alone, we've seen so many injustices, like the Oregon bakery that's been forced to close its doors because of the visceral hate mail, threats and boycotts they received simply for living their lives according to their faith. As some workers protest for higher wages, we see businesses like Hobby Lobby that pay their full-time workers significantly more than minimum wage fighting for the ability to keep their doors open and their workers employed because they dare to operate their business according to the dictates of their conscience. We see an attack on the integrity of the military chaplaincy, an institution that exists to support the free exercise of religion for our brave servicemembers as they leave home and family behind to enter harsh and foreign environments. And we see servicemembers like Senior Master Sergeant Monk fighting to maintain their careers in the military because they dare to hold a traditional view of marriage. In Iran, Pastor Abedini languishes in the notorious Evin prison because of his Christian faith. He's an American citizen who has been wrongly sentenced to 8 years in prison because he dared to hold a certain religious belief, torn from his wife and two young children. As we approach the 1-year anniversary of his incarceration, we need to make sure that we realize that his fight for freedom is a reminder of how important it is that we remain a beacon for the fundamental right of religious freedom and the ability to live your life openly and freely on the basis of your convictions. We must defend Pastor Abedini and advocate for his immediate release to the safety of his family. As we honor Constitution Day, let us remember the fundamental right of religious freedom enshrined in the First Amendment. Members of the Prayer Caucus have not forgotten our first freedom. We stand ready to guard and protect it. I'm proud to partner with my good friend, Mr. McIntyre, in leading this extraordinary group of Members known as the Congressional Prayer Caucus. I'm so pleased to be joined this evening by my colleagues who are working to protect religious freedom in America and around the world, and at this time I'd like to yield to my good friend, Mr. Tim Walberg from Michigan.

Mr. FORBES. I thank the gentleman from Michigan for his great leadership on these First Amendment rights and for his words tonight. We have another great leader on First Amendment rights, Mr. Speaker, and that's Doug Lamborn for Colorado. Doug, it's a pleasure to have you tonight. I would love to yield to you for any comments you might have.

Mr. FORBES. I thank the gentleman for his hard work in this area and for being with us tonight. We heard Mr. Walberg mention Patrick Henry; and from the State that Patrick Henry came from is my good friend, Rob Wittman. Rob, thank you for being here and your fight in all this.

Mr. FORBES. Mr. Wittman, I thank you for your dedication to First Amendment rights and to our military. One of the deep thinkers that we have in this area in all forms of policy, especially as it comes to First Amendment liberties, is the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Lankford). Mr. Lankford, we are delighted to have you tonight, and I would love to hear some of your thoughts on this.

Mr. FORBES. Thank you, Mr. Lankford, and for your great work on this subject. Probably no one has defended the rights of our military and their First Amendment rights and the rights of our chaplains more than the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Fleming). Mr. Fleming, thank you for your efforts in that and for being here tonight. We would love to hear your thoughts on this very special amendment and right for Americans.

Mr. FORBES. Dr. Fleming, we thank you for your expertise in both the health care area and the military, and thanks for fighting this fight so well. One of the truly great champions on religious freedom issues has been the chairman of the Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution. He was actually selected as Christian Statesman of the Year because he truly practices what he preaches, and we are delighted to have with us the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Franks) tonight. Mr. Franks, it's good to have you here, and we would love to hear your comments.

Mr. FORBES. Congressman Franks, we thank you for speaking out for this great pastor whose big sin was that he loved children who did not have parents and he loved his faith and his God. We just thank you for doing that. Our next speaker is someone who has been recognized for a lot of things--his fight on the Judiciary Committee--but tonight he's here to share and to stand up for First Amendment rights for religious freedom, Louie Gohmert from Texas. Congressman Gohmert, thank you for being here.

Mr. FORBES. I thank the gentleman from Texas for his words. The Wall Street Journal has recently written a big article about our next speaker, about how hard he works for constituents, but tonight he's here to work for the First Amendment and for freedom of religion. That is Steve Pearce from New Mexico.

Mr. FORBES. I thank the gentleman for his words tonight. My dear friend from Virginia, Congressman Griffith, we are glad to have you with us tonight for your comments.

Mr. FORBES. Mr. Speaker, we thank you for the time tonight. Over your head stands the phrase ``In God We Trust.'' A few years ago, when they opened the Visitors Center, they tried to take that phrase out of it. Members of the Prayer Caucus came here and stood, and because of that it's now written and engraved in the walls over there. We believe that, if you can engrave it there and if you can engrave it here, we can engrave it once again in the hearts of the people in this country. I want to thank you for the time that you've allowed us today. I want to thank the majority leader for yielding us this time. I want to thank our Founders for giving us this great right of freedom of religion, and my prayer and our prayer tonight is that the American people will be wise enough to keep it. With that, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. FORBES

Mr. FORBES. Mr. Speaker, we're now in the 4th week of the civilian furloughs at the Department of Defense that are wreaking havoc on our national security and the lives of patriotic men and women across this country. Mr. Speaker, I've said repeatedly the decisions that led us here were not the result of strategic analysis but yet another consequence of misguided cuts to our national defense. Just a few moments ago, we were in a hearing in the Armed Services Committee and a high-ranking member of the Pentagon said that the suggestion that we now know the President made for sequestration was a dumb idea. It was certainly a wrong idea. It was wrong when the President signed it into law, but what is worse is the current position of the White House, that even if the House and the Senate can reach an agreement to fix sequestration and stop these furloughs, that they will not agree to it unless we give the President all the spending he wants in every area of government and increases in taxes in all the areas of government he wants. Mr. Speaker, this is wrong. We need to address sequestration now for national defense and stop it before it's too late.

Mr. FORBES

Mr. FORBES. Mr. Speaker, last week, more than 650,000 DOD civilians began the first of their 11 unpaid furlough days. Our military--our men and women in uniform--and the civilians who support our national security infrastructure simply cannot and should not have to bear this burden. Now men and women across the country--the engineers, architects, welders, and manufacturers--who have devoted their lives to our national security find themselves losing pay and struggling to get by. Although the Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force have said they would be able to complete the fiscal year without furloughs, the Secretary of Defense would not allow the service Secretaries to make their own decisions based on their individual budgetary constraints. The entire Department is now suffering as a result. Mr. Speaker, this body has acted multiple times to end this process, and I urge the Senate and the President to offer their real solutions to this problem so that we can relieve this costly burden on our defense civilian workforce. These men and women who devote their lives to this country's service deserve better from their government.

Mr. FORBES

Mr. FORBES. Mr. Chairman, on May 28, 2010, I stood on this floor and made a motion that effectively stopped some of the worst terrorists in the world at Guantanamo Bay from being transferred to the soil in the United States. At that particular point in time, the then-chairman of the Armed Services Committee, Democrat Ike Skelton, stood on the floor and said this: We are in a position to accept this motion. I just wish to point out that there is no difference between the Democrats and Republicans when it comes to fighting terrorism. Today, we step on a course with this amendment to change that as the highest ranking Democrat on the Armed Services Committee seeks to overturn, essentially, that motion. Mr. Chairman, if the gentleman were asking that these terrorists be brought to his district, that would be one thing, but he knows that's very unlikely. What you're having with this motion is very generously saying that they could be brought to any of our districts. We are hearing a uniform chorus stand up from North Carolina, Virginia, Guam, and every other place, saying, Don't bring them to my district. The reason is they know two things: they know the moment they touch U.S. soil they will receive additional constitutional rights that no one in this room can argue what they are exactly; secondly, they have placed a target on every elementary school, on every shopping mall, on every small business in that district by other terrorists. That's why, Mr. Chairman, it's important that we come together unified and send a message to the President that we might not be able to stop every terrorist from coming to U.S. soil, but we can stop these terrorists by defeating this amendment.

Mr. FORBES. Madam Chairman, over the last 4 years, the administration has told the Pentagon--the Pentagon has come back--and they have cut out of national defense $778 billion before they even get to sequestration. Each time they acknowledge they increase the risk, and their definition of ``risk'' is ``acceptable risk.'' When you ask them what that means, it means how many ships we can lose, how many planes we can lose, how many men and women we can lose and still have some probability that we will win the conflict if every single assumption that they make holds true. If you support that definition of acceptable risk, you need to vote for this amendment. But I believe we need to change the definition of acceptable risk and say it means this: when we send one of our men and women into conflict we have done everything reasonably possible to make sure they have the highest probability possible of returning to the home they are defending and to the families that they love. If you support that definition of acceptable risk, you need to defeat this amendment.

Mr. FORBES

Mr. FORBES. I thank the chairman. Mr. Chairman, one of the things that unites Republicans and Democrats in opposition to this amendment, that's why you've heard them take this floor, is that the Constitution of the United States mandates Congress to build strong navies. It doesn't mandate the Pentagon, it doesn't mandate the White House, it doesn't mandate anybody. It mandates us, and we will not walk away from that mandate. And if you look at every independent analysis, every QDR since 2001 says we need 11 carriers. If you really believe the Navy's going to come in here and say they don't need them, that's not the truth. What's going to happen is somebody's going to give them a budget figure and say the budget needs to drive the strategy, and that's why you need to cut it down. And we're not going to put them in that position. Three things: they talk about costs. The reality is it could cost more to have fewer carriers because they don't take into consideration the deployment times we're going to put on the backs of our sailors, or the turnaround time we're going to have, or the increased maintenance cost. The second thing they don't look at is the fact that, in 2007, we were able to meet 90 percent of our combatant commanders' needs through the Navy. This year we'll only meet 51 percent because of cuts we've placed on their backs. But the final thing, Mr. Chairman--and this is the essence of all of it--they will come in here, and the people who advocate that will say this is acceptable risk. Do you know what acceptable risk means to them? It means how many ships we can lose, how many men and women we can lose, how much equipment we can lose in a conflict and still have the potential of winning if every other assumption we've made holds true. Mr. Chairman, we're committed to changing the definition of acceptable risk, and saying this: when one of our men and women go into battle, we're going to make sure we've done everything we can reasonably do to make sure they have the highest probability possible of returning to the country they're fighting for and the families that they love. And you can't do it with fewer than 11 carriers. That's why we're standing with this, and that's why I hope we will reject soundly this amendment. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. FORBES

Mr. FORBES. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2014. With Chairman McKeon's and Ranking Member Smith's leadership, I believe that this bill provides the right authorities and sufficient resources to demonstrate our resounding and unequivocal support for the men and women who place their service to country above all things. I think we could all learn from their service and devotion. As to the Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee mark, I continue to be concerned about both the size and composition of our Navy's fleet. In the 30-year shipbuilding plan, the administration has indicated a requirement of 306 ships. The 2010 QDR independent panel indicated a requirement of 346 ships. Unfortunately, the Navy has proposed a reduction of the fleet to 270 ships in just the next year. Various outside experts have indicated that if we continue to support our current level of shipbuilding investments, the fleet could be reduced further to just 240 ships. This path is simply unacceptable. Given the budget cuts of the past 4 years, which I opposed, I think this bill does a good job of reversing some of these negative trends and takes a step in the right direction by authorizing eight combat ships and ensuring that we retain and modernize our current fleet to the end of their service life. I remain very pleased with the direction of our projection forces. This bill provides strategic Air Force investments in terms of both the KC-46A tanker program and the Long-Range Strike Bomber. These are critical capabilities that need to be nurtured carefully. This mark also includes important cost-saving initiatives that provide the Navy and Air Force with the ability to procure E-2D Hawkeye and C-130H Super Hercules aircraft using multiyear procurement authority. These legislative provisions alone are projected to save taxpayers over $1 billion. As I look to the future, I believe that it's essential to ensure strategy drives our debate. Mr. Chairman, we've gone a long ways to reverse some of these negative trends. I think this bill does a good job of supporting our forces, and I would urge my colleagues to support this bill. I thank my colleague and friend, Mike McIntyre, my ranking member, and our hardworking staff for their efforts in producing this bill.

Mr. FORBES

Mr. FORBES. Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my friend, Dr. Burgess, for his leadership on this issue and for yielding me this time. We just heard the speaker talk about the definition of ``insanity,'' and Americans woke up the last few weeks and realized the definition of ``insanity'' is giving massive amounts of information to thousands of new Internal Revenue Service agents who can use it as leverage over our lives. I hope that, despite the fact that this bill is increasing costs on individuals and businesses, at least we ought to agree we don't want to hire thousands of new Internal Revenue Service agents and give them all of this information that they can use as an abusive process over our lives. In addition to that, Mr. Speaker, I have introduced the Prevent IRS Overreach Act which would at least take the Internal Revenue Service out of this provision. I hope that we'll adopt this rule and we'll support the underlying bill.

Mr. FORBES

Mr. FORBES. I would like to thank Congresswoman Foxx for those remarks and for her leadership. Now, Mr. Speaker, we have a gentleman from Oklahoma who has been a longtime leader in religious freedom and religious liberty issues. It is my privilege to yield the floor to him now, Mr. James Lankford.

Mr. FORBES. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the subject of this Special Order.

Mr. FORBES. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity to come to the floor tonight to discuss our Nation's rich spiritual heritage and the foundation it laid for the religious freedoms we still enjoy today. I'm hosting this Special Order hour as founder and co-chairman of the Congressional Prayer Caucus, a bipartisan group with more than 90 Members of the House of Representatives dedicated to protecting religious freedom in America and preserving our Nation's rich spiritual heritage. I co-chair this caucus with my good friend, Mr. Mike McIntyre, a Democrat Member from North Carolina. We founded the caucus in 2005 to formally acknowledge the important role that faith plays in American life and to recognize our Nation's religious heritage. We're working to guard these legacies for future generations. Members of the Congressional Prayer Caucus gather each week in the United States Capitol, just a few feet from here, to pray for our Nation. We leave political labels at the door and we join in prayer for one another and our country. We all know how unusual it is in the current political climate for Members to unite across the aisle and work together. Yet throughout the more than 200-year history of our Nation, prayer has played a vital role in strengthening the fabric of our society. Mr. Speaker, our prayers build upon the legacy that was established by early legislators. In fact, the first act of America's first Congress in 1774 was to ask a minister to open with prayer and lead Congress in the reading of four chapters of the Bible. As our fledgling Nation grew and encountered overwhelming challenges, time and time again we saw our Nation's leaders turn to God in prayer. We live in a challenging time. Wherever I go, I encounter people who want to know if the future of America is optimistic or pessimistic. When I review the insurmountable challenges our Nation overcame to get to this point--the Civil War, World War II, the Great Depression, and so many more--I believe our future is optimistic. As long as there are men and women in our government and throughout our Nation who continue to turn to God for help, we'll always have hope. In addition to joining in prayer each week, members of the Prayer Caucus also work together to preserve the presence of religion, faith, and morality in the marketplace of ideas. We're seeing increased efforts to remove references to God and faith from the public square. Activists seek to remove ``God'' from our national motto and Pledge of Allegiance. They seek to prevent city and county councils from praying and recognizing our Nation's spiritual heritage. And they seek to silence people who wish to live out their faith. Members of the Prayer Caucus have countered these efforts, successfully ensuring that our history remains intact for future generations. In the 112th Congress, I introduced a resolution reaffirming our national motto ``In God We Trust'' and encouraging its public display in public buildings. The measure passed overwhelmingly by a vote of 396-9. Some ask why we needed to reaffirm our national motto; yet if left unstated, the motto could be changed in a de facto manner. On November 2010, before a worldwide audience in a much publicized speech focusing on the United States' relationship with the Muslim world, President Obama incorrectly proclaimed that our national motto was ``E Pluribus Unum.'' Despite a bipartisan letter from 42 Members of Congress, the President didn't correct his inaccurate statement. Now, thanks to the House passage of the In God We Trust resolution, children across America know that if God can be displayed on the walls of their classroom, they cannot be prevented from talking about him at school. Members of the Prayer Caucus also worked to correct inaccuracies and omissions in the Capitol Visitor Center. In 2008, the over-half- billion-dollar Capitol Visitor Center opened for the purpose of educating over 15,000 Capitol visitors daily on the legislative process, as well as the history and development of the architecture and art of the U.S. Capitol. When Members toured the facility, however, CVC historians had censored the building of any references to our Judeo-Christian history. They had replaced the inscription of ``In God We Trust'' inscribed right behind you on the Speaker's rostrum with stars and a replica of the House Chamber and had cropped an actual picture of the Chamber so you could not see the words ``In God We Trust.'' Additionally, a plaque was placed in the CVC falsely educating visitors that the national motto was E Pluribus Unum. They had not included the Pledge of Allegiance in the CVC because it referenced God. Only after Members of Congress intervened publicly and legislatively were these omissions and inaccuracies corrected. I am proud to partner with my good friend, Mr. Mike McIntyre, in leading this extraordinary group of Members in the Congressional Prayer Caucus, and I'm so pleased to be joined this evening by my colleagues who are working to protect religious freedom in America and around the world. Mr. Speaker, at this time I would like to yield to my colleague and my good friend from New Mexico (Mr. Pearce).

Mr. FORBES. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman for his great work on religious freedom and religious liberty issues, and thank you for sharing that tonight. Mr. Speaker, as individuals watch Congress across the country, one of the big criticisms they always talk about is all of the partisanship that hits here, and they just don't get to see the Congressional Prayer Caucus. If they did, they would see what they are going to see on this floor tonight, and that is my co-chairman, who is also one of my dearest friends in here tonight, and that is Mike McIntyre. He is a Democrat from North Carolina; I'm a Republican from Virginia. But I can tell you that I have just the utmost respect for him, and I think he does for me. It is my honor to now yield the floor to him.

Mr. FORBES. Thank you so much for your leadership and your courage and your friendship, and we appreciate your words tonight and we'll treasure them. Mr. Speaker, one of the true leaders in the House of Representatives is a lady from North Carolina. It's often said, when Virginia Foxx speaks, everybody listens, and we're delighted tonight to have her here and to listen to her speak. With that, I would like to yield the floor to the gentlelady from North Carolina.

Mr. FORBES. I would like to thank Congressman Lankford for his words and for his strong work throughout the year on these issues. Now it is now my privilege to yield to another individual that's been a passionate leader on religious freedom and religious liberty, Congressman Louie Gohmert from Texas.