Virginia Foxx

Ms. FOXX

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I have deep concerns over the recent politicizing of the intelligence reports while our country is in the midst of a global war on terror. This is irresponsible when it comes to classified intelligence. Politics should be the last thing involved in the intelligence community. It is not surprising to see a leak come right out before the elections and Democrats using it as a campaign tool. The New York Times story was based upon selective information and that was distorted and inaccurate when taken out of its full context. Information is classified for a reason, but it is too late, and the damage is done. Just after the President declassified the information to show that progress in the war on terror was being made through our intelligence service, Al Jazeera's Web site immediately posted a link to the document for their audience, which may include terrorists to review. Now they know sensitive aspects of our intelligence community's assessment of the war on terror. Releasing this intelligence compromises our success in the war on terror and the safety of our troops. If this inspires one terrorist, and it most certainly will, the cost is far too high.

Ms. FOXX

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to address gas prices and the Democrats selective agenda on talking about them. Up until recently, over the last year, gas prices have risen, and the Democrats jumped on this issue and played the blame game. They condemned President Bush repeatedly saying it was the President's fault. The Republican-led Congress and administration began to explore new options to increase domestic output to help lower the cost at the pump. The Republican Congress continued their battle to open ANWR. Seventy- five percent of Alaskans want ANWR opened for oil exploration and all of the elected officials at the Federal level want it open. The area that would be explored is roughly the size of a postage stamp on a football field, yet the Democrats continue to obstruct this effort. The Democrat solution to rising gas problems was not a policy or a proposal; it was simply ``no'' to Republican and administration proposals and blaming the President. What astounds me so is now that the gas prices are falling, where is the Democrats' praise for the President's efforts? Gas prices are falling, and all I hear from the other side of the aisle are crickets.

Ms. FOXX

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to deliver a message: The Democrats have no direction when it comes to the war on terror and national security. Just this week, the minority leader said, and I quote, ``5 years after 9/11 Osama bin Laden is still free, and not a single terrorist who planned 9/11 has been caught and brought to justice.'' In reality, currently, the U.S. has in captivity Khalid Shaikh Mohammad, the mastermind behind 9/11; Mustafa Ahmad as-Hawsawi, a financier of the 9/11 attacks; and Ramzi-Bin al-Shibh, who served as a facilitator between the 9/11 hijackers in the U.S. and the al Qaeda leadership in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Another baffling statement was made recently by the Senate minority leader referring to the national security bills the House has passed to make our Nation safer and secure our porous borders. The Senate minority leader openly said that the Republican Congress is spending time on issues that are not relevant to the American people. Mr. Speaker, the statements of the respected minority leaders lead me to believe that not only are the Democrats out of touch with the majority of Americans, but it appears as if they are now completely out of touch with reality.

Ms. FOXX

Ms. FOXX. Thank you, Mr. Gohmert, and thank you for reminding us of what we should be doing in terms of honoring these people. Sergeant Hester sounds like an absolutely fabulous woman, and we are so fortunate to have her serving in our military and being a great role model for all of us. I was talking earlier when Congressman Gohmert came in and I yielded time to him about the fact that in so many of these things that we have accomplished with the Republican leadership in this Congress, to make sure that we thwart terrorists who want to come here, who want to do the kinds of things that were done on 9/11/2001, in so many of those ways we have had to fight the Democrats at every step of the way. They have been opposed to almost every effort that we have made here. The PATRIOT Act, the border security bills, over and over and over again they have said no. Their answer to fighting the war on terror is to withdraw from Iraq. Take our troops out. Put them somewhere else in the Middle East, but get out of Iraq. They talk out of both sides of their mouths. They say, on the one hand, the minority leader says, okay, all the damage that Osama bin Laden can do he did 5 years ago. She criticizes the President for not having enough forces in Afghanistan to catch Osama bin Laden; and then she says, well, it wouldn't matter if we caught him anyway. We would not be any safer if we caught him. So, over and over and over again, we get mixed signals from the Democrats. That gives comfort and aid to our enemy. They see that happening, and they think, boy, if there is a chance that the Democrats could take control, then we wouldn't have to worry about being pursued. We wouldn't have to worry about what the Congress is going to try to do to us in conjunction with what the administration is doing. We can just sit back and wait for them, for the Democrats to get in control. Nothing could be worse for our country than for them to be put in control and to withdraw our troops from Iraq where we are making tremendous progress on helping those people live in a free country. That is what they want. I had the great opportunity to go to Iraq in July, just at the end of our session in July, and the Iraqi people said to us: we are so grateful to you for bringing freedom to us. We are so grateful. Don't leave too soon. We are committed to a democracy; we are committed to maintaining freedom here in this country. Please don't go away before we can get our feet on the ground. This is the first chance we have had to have freedom in the history of this country, and we want it and we are going to have it. And as you read about what is happening in the country and you see that while there are these militias out there, they are not attacking the government of the country, they are attacking each other. There are Sunnis going against Shias, Shias going against Sunnis, but none of them are attacking the Government of Iraq because they all have a vested interest in keeping that government going, and that is very, very important. But you never read about that. It makes it look like these people are all attacking the government, but they are not doing it. President Maliki I think has done a wonderful job of forming a government that can gain the support of the three major groups in Iraq, and so we are seeing tremendous progress there. Even though we see the insurgents and even though we see the IEDs and even though there has been horrible loss of life, it is not directed at bringing down the government. There is a fabulous article in the National Review dated today, as a matter of fact, about the importance of that, and I would commend it to people to read it about why the government is strengthening there in Iraq and how it is strengthening and why things are going well there instead of going badly as the popular press would have you believe. So we have to keep fighting, and we have to fight this war on terror and improve our national security on all the fronts that we have before us. And I want to talk a little bit about a couple of episodes that happened last week that I think show the American people again how much we are at war and what a dangerous place this world still is. The President reminds us periodically about it, and again, as we go about our day-to-day activities, it is difficult to believe that we are at war even though the news media makes it sound as horrific as they possibly can because they want to undermine what we are doing to improve our national security, and they want to undermine the work of this Republican Congress and this Republican President. And I want to point out what happened last week with two people who came to this country to appear at the United Nations and talk at the United Nations and condemn this country for what we are doing. We dealt with hearing President Chavez and the President of Iran, Ahmadinejad. They both made just absolutely outrageous speeches on the floor of the United Nations. And it is difficult to believe that these people could come into our country and say the kinds of things that they did, but in many ways their speeches were gifts to us because they pointed out the danger that we face from these tyrannical leaders of other countries. I want to mention first some comments from the President of Iran. He mentioned in his speech that justice was a victim of force and aggression. Well, it certainly is. It was certainly a victim of force and aggression when he participated in the overthrow of the American Embassy in Iran in 1979, and held American hostages for 444 days. He spoke of ridding the world of nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons; but he continually refuses to halt the production of enriched uranium in Iran. He wants to rid the world of aggression and strive for peace, even though he created a proxy war in Lebanon and continually funnels weapons to Hezbollah which continually attacks Israel and tries to bring on world war there. I was astonished when he spoke of dignity for all human beings and is longing for peace. These words are surprising here from a man who has prayed for the demise of America and constantly calls for Israel to be wiped off the map. His biography reads like a horror novel, directing multiple assassinations while he was in elite military units and working with Ansar al Hezbollah, the violent Islamic vigilante group. His main goal is the destruction of Western Civilization. That speech was a complete farce. He has shown his true agenda time after time, and one misleading speech at the United Nations is not going to fool America or the world. While we witnessed the Iranian dictator lecture us on freedom, democracy, and justice, it is ironic that in his own country this tyrant denies his own people the basic rights of freedom of speech and freedom to assemble. His speech focused on freedom, justice, and dignity for human beings, but as the President he has done nothing to bring any of his so-called goals to his own people. Women are denied rights of inheritance, divorce, and child custody and use of their rights of self-expression and economic creativity. Basic rights are denied for the people of Iran, and that is why even with the soaring prices of oil, more than 40 percent of the Iranians live below the poverty line. Today in Iran, dissent is brutally suppressed and terror is the regime's only instrument of domestic or foreign policy. While he may resent us for being powerful, he does not realize that the foundation of our power is rooted in the freedom of our great people to pursue happiness, to innovate, and to speak freely. So while it was very painful for us to hear the President of Iran come here and lecture us and be such a hypocrite, I think it was instructive and reminded the American people of how close we are to having a world dominated by tyrants like him and tyrants like Hugo Chavez who would turn the world back, in Iran's case to the fifth century, where they would be in charge and where there would be no freedom like we know it. It would be a horrible world, and yet they want to do that. They hate Western Civilization and want to destroy Western Civilization at every possibility. I want to take a moment now to recognize another one of my colleagues who is here from the great State of Texas who wants to I think join me and talk about the national security issue, and so I am going to yield to my colleague, Congressman Burgess, who is going to speak briefly on the issue of the national security.

Ms. FOXX. Thank you, Congresswoman Blackburn, for your comments. As I said, you always present a very articulate and coherent message to the people of this country when you speak; and it is a real pleasure to work with you and to have you here in the Congress pointing out very commonsense kinds of things that we can be doing to make this country a better place. I appreciate very much your setting the stage for what has happened over the last 20 or so years in terms of the terrorist threats that came to this country that were largely ignored because most people could not envision the horrific event that occurred on 9/11, 2001, or could not see how these different events were connected with each other. I want to talk a little bit about what we have done since 9/11 in order to make sure that we do not suffer such an attack in the future, and let me point out some of these things. In the first key stage of the 9/11 attack, al Qaeda conceived and planned the attacks from abroad, but here are some of the responses that we have made as a result of that. We have taken the key advantages al Qaeda enjoyed while plotting the 9/11 attack in Afghanistan away. We now have removed the Taliban from power, closed the al Qaeda training camps and taken away financial tools that were available to them. They can no longer move around in Afghanistan with impunity. Many of al Qaeda's most important leaders have been captured or killed, including Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, believed to be the mastermind behind the 9/11 attacks. So we have had a big impact on what has happened abroad. The second key stage of the 9/11 attack, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and bin Laden identified, trained and deployed operatives to the United States. We have addressed that since 9/11. We have addressed the gaps in America's defenses that were exploited by al Qaeda. We have upgraded technology, and we have added new layers of screening and security to the immigration and visa system. Today, visa applicants, like those who participated in the 9/11 hijackings, would have to appear for face-to- face interviews, be fingerprinted and screened against an extensive database of known or suspected terrorists and be checked again to make sure that their fingerprints matched those on their visas. We have improved our terrorist watch list. We have established common criteria for posting terrorists on a consolidated terrorist watch list. The NSA created the terrorist surveillance program at the President's direction, and we are going to be dealing more with that this week, as my colleague Congresswoman Blackburn has mentioned. Before 9/11, U.S. intelligence professionals found it difficult to monitor international communications such as those between the planners of the 9/11 attacks abroad and al Qaeda operatives operating secretly in the United States. This is not a program to spy on American citizens, as our colleagues have accused us and the President of doing. This is a program to stop the kind of collaboration that existed between those operatives working overseas and those here in the United States, and we are going to work on the terrorist surveillance program this week I believe and pass something that will allow the President and the people who are using this program to thwart these terrorists, to be able to thwart them. The third key stage of the 9/11 plot, the rest of the 19 al Qaeda operatives came to the United States. So the FBI has now made protecting America from terrorist attacks its top priority. Before 9/ 11, that was not the top priority of the FBI, but now we have more counterterrorism agents and lists. We have the unified national security branch to coordinate terrorism investigations and intelligence operations, and we have expanded the number of joint terrorism task forces to help Federal, State, and local law enforcement officers work together; and with legislation we passed last week, we are going to strengthen that program where we work with local law enforcement officers, and that is going to be helping. In addition, we have now torn down the legal and bureaucratic wall that kept law enforcement and intelligence from sharing information. All levels of government are sharing far more information than ever before and connecting the dots to stop terrorists before they strike. People kept saying why did we not connect the dots, why did we not connect the dots. That is because we had silos for our various bureaucracies and intelligence agencies, and they were not allowed to talk to each other; but we have torn those silos down now and people are communicating with each other. We have passed the PATRIOT Act. This good law has increased the flow of information and helped break up terrorist cells in the United States, and Congress was right to renew it last year. We have created the national counterterrorism center, the NCTC. Law enforcement intelligence personnel work side by side in the same headquarters. We have created the position of Director of National Intelligence. The Director of National Intelligence operates the intelligence community as a single, unified enterprise. We have set up the Terrorist Screening Center. The Terrorist Screening Center maintains the government's consolidated list of suspected terrorists and individuals with terrorist links and helps get this information into the hands of State and local law enforcement. At every level, America's law enforcement officers now have a clear goal: to identify, locate and stop terrorists in our country before they can kill. That is very, very important. The fourth and final stage of the 9/11 plot came on the morning of the attack. We have taken many steps to address the security gaps that the hijackers exploited that morning. We have created the Transportation Security Administration to make sure that every passenger and every bag is screened. We have increased the number of Federal air marshals, and we have trained and authorized thousands of pilots to carry firearms and hardened cockpit doors to prevent terrorists from gaining access to the controls. In addition, we have merged 22 government agencies into a single Department of Homeland Security and tripled spending for security of airlines, ports, borders and other critical areas; and we are working constantly to stay several steps, not one step but several steps, ahead of the terrorists. We have gone on the offense across the world, and our country is definitely safer. We have captured many of the most significant al Qaeda members and associates. We have kept the terrorists from achieving their key goal to overthrow governments across the broader Middle East and seize control. Our allies in the war on terror include two nations that used to harbor or sponsor terror, but now help us fight it, the democratic nations of Afghanistan and Iraq. As we fight the enemies of a free Iraq, we must also ensure that al Qaeda and its allies never get their hands on the tools of mass murder. So we are working very hard in the area of national security to make sure that a 9/11 attack can never occur again in this country. Now, I want to say what some of the very important things are that have been accomplished under Republican stewardship, specifically what congressional Republicans have done. We have strengthened the national defense. We have helped our troops succeed in Afghanistan and Iraq. We have increased benefits of our men and women in uniform. We have protected our troops with state-of-the- art body armor and equipment. We have streamlined bureaucratic red tape to ensure our servicemembers have all that is necessary to complete their missions. We have increased funding for necessary and state-of- the-art equipment. We have modernized acquisition and procurement programs. We have enhanced the quality of life for servicemembers and their families, and we are steadily increasing the pay benefits for them. We have made real progress in missile defense. We have conducted successful missile defense tests. We have ensured the missile defense program goes farther and faster than ever before. So we are making real progress in these areas. We have seen major changes occurring in the Iraqi Government where they are taking control of their armed forces there and moving ahead to make the country safer and safer. The Iraqis themselves have overwhelmingly rejected religious or the ethnic breakup of Iraq. They are solidly behind a centrally controlled government. Seventy-eight percent of the Iraqis disagree or strongly disagree with the idea of segregating the country by religious or ethnic sect. They want to keep their country whole and not break it up. Eighty-nine percent of the Iraqis said the formation of a national government, including the country's main ethnic and religious communities, was extremely important to the future peace and stability of Iraq. They believe that the country is headed in the right direction, and we know that it is. So what we are doing to strengthen Iraq and strengthen Afghanistan are both important in the war on terror. It is a global war on terror. So what we are doing is all over the world, not just in Iraq and Afghanistan. We saw that with what we did in England where with the British, we and the Pakistani Government worked together to thwart another plot to take down our airlines filled with Americans. So we have worked on the national security from that perspective to never let another 9/11 happen and do the things that we should do to do that, and while we are doing that, we are strengthening Iraq and Afghanistan. Now, what are we also doing on border security, because border security is national security? We have done a great deal in this House to make sure that we have border security in this country and that people understand that border security is national security. Mr. Speaker, we have passed several bills and we have several bills yet to pass that are going to make our borders more secure. We have passed the REAL ID Act. We have passed a strong border security bill last December. We have the Effective Immigration Enforcement and Community Protection Act. The chairman of our Judiciary Committee, Chairman Sensenbrenner, has been leading us in putting together the bills out of the Judiciary Committee to tighten up our border security. We are ending catch-and-release. The administration has done this on their own, but we are going to strengthen their hand in ending catch- and-release. We are no longer going to catch criminals and potential terrorists and release them again. We are going to keep them in prison or make sure that they get sent back home and they are not back in this country. We are removing illegal immigrant gang members to make sure that we are enhancing what we are doing again from our border security. We have established penalties for border tunnels. The bill that we passed last week establishes criminal penalties of up to 20 years' imprisonment for persons who knowingly construct or finance the construction of an unauthorized tunnel across a U.S. international border. We are prosecuting more smuggling offenses. We are tightening up of the laws on that, and we are making the offenses much more stringent. We are removing criminal illegal immigrants, getting rid of people who have come into this country to commit crimes. So we are continuing to do things that will make our borders stronger and stronger, which will help our national security. Every time that we can enhance our border security, we are enhancing our national security. We are also enhancing our homeland security through our homeland security legislation, and I want to talk a little bit about that, too. We have funded first responders in homeland security. Through a variety of programs, over $30 billion in Federal funding has been allocated for first responders since 2001. Total nondefense homeland security spending across all agencies has gone from $11.8 billion in fiscal year 2001 to $41.5 billion for fiscal year 2007. I mentioned earlier that we passed the USA PATRIOT Act. We reauthorized it. The bill was passed in 2001, and it has now been reauthorized. A key tool in preventing another domestic attack, the PATRIOT Act has enabled the Federal Government to effectively deter and punish terrorist acts in the United States and around the world. I mentioned earlier the REAL ID Act, which was the first bill to pass in this Congress. I was a very proud original cosponsor of that bill and extremely proud to be a freshman and be allowed to be a cosponsor of that bill. My own State of North Carolina has been a haven for illegal aliens coming in and getting drivers' licenses and then being able to use those as IDs to get on airplanes. We know that the terrorists who brought down the Twin Towers had many, many illegal drivers licenses, and the REAL ID Act will cut down on that capability. The Congress passed the Homeland Security Act of 2002, which established the Department of Homeland Security. We again are doing more and more on border security. The SAFE Port Act, the Security and Accountability for Every Port Act, or the SAFE Port Act, addresses port security defenses within and beyond U.S. ports, including enhancing security programs and others. The Project Bioshield, which delivered $5.6 billion to enhance research, procurement and use of biomedical countermeasures to respond to public health threats affecting our national security. Emergency communications. We are working on making sure that different agencies can communicate with each other so folks will be able to help thwart any threatened terrorist attacks. The Maritime Transportation Security Act, the MTSA. Congress passed the MTSA in 2002, requiring every regulated U.S. port facility to establish and implement a security plan that outlines procedures for controlling access to the facility, verifying credentials for port workers, inspecting cargo for tampering, designating security responsibilities, training and reporting security breaches. So we have worked very hard on making sure that we are securing not just the borders, the northern and southern borders, but also all of our ports all over this country. It is the Republicans who are leading the way on bringing these issues up to the country, to the Congress, and making sure that they are passed. So what do we face from the Democrats? The same things. Even though we bring up over and over and over again the fact that the number one responsibility of the Federal Government is the defense of this Nation, we know this from our Constitution, but we constantly have to remind the Democrats that that is the role of the Federal Government. The Federal Government in past years has gotten involved with many worthwhile activities. Don't get me wrong. I know that many of the programs that are spending Federal dollars do good things. But those are not the jobs of the Federal Government. The Constitution is a brilliant document, and if we follow the Constitution in the way that it was written and we do what our forefathers outlined for us to do, we will be so much better off in this country. One of those things that we should be doing is focusing on national security, focusing on the defense of this Nation from the Federal level, and leaving these other things to the States and the localities to deal with. But if you hear the Democrats talking, what they want to do is to continue to talk about no, no, no. They are not interested in enhancing our border security. They are not interested in enhancing national security, when you listen to what they talk about. When you look at what they have voted against, they have voted against so many things that were designed to enhance our national security. I want to just mention a few of those things that they have voted against. Over and over and over again they bring up negative things. You would think that they wanted to simply open up our borders and let anybody come in here that wanted to come in here and just ignore the fact that we had an attack on 9/11, that we had those other attacks that Congresswoman Blackburn mentioned to us. You would think that the kinds of things that we have done are the worst things that could have ever been done in this Nation. The terrorist surveillance program, you would think, if you were not aware of what the Democrats are saying, that our government has turned on its own people instead of doing everything that we possibly can to protect the people. As I said before, I was at AMAT Manufacturing today, sitting there thinking about how it is the role of the Federal Government to make sure that we are safe so we can do the things like that, the routine things that we do. I want to talk some about how the Democrats have tried to thwart us at every step in trying to maintain security in this country, national security and border security. I have been joined by one of my colleagues, one of my most articulate colleagues, one of our favorite freshmen, who can always tell the very best stories, but is always right on point on issues dealing with whatever legislation we are dealing with. I want to recognize Congressman Gohmert from the great Republic of Texas, who is here to talk a little bit about this issue and give some illustrations of his own of what we have done right and how the Democrats would have us be thwarted in what we have done.

Ms. FOXX. I thank the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Burgess) for coming in and adding to the comments that have been made by my colleagues on this issue of national security and bringing up some points that had not been made before. You have done a very, very fine job of bringing in those issues about the 9/11 Commission report and showing how we are doing the things that the 9/11 Commission has said that we need to do. It is something that I had intended to mention in my remarks, but I am glad that you brought them up because you were very eloquent in what you said. I want to say again that the Republican leadership here, the President, the Vice President, the Secretary of State, we are all focused on improving national security for this country. We want to make sure that the people of this Nation know that they are secure in their everyday lives, that they can go about their jobs, go about their leisure, and go about their business every day doing what they should be doing and forgetting in many ways what happened in 9/11 because they have a government, a national government that is focused on the defense of this Nation and national security. And I want to encourage our Democratic colleagues to hear what I know their constituents must be saying to them, that they want to remain safe in this country and they want us to deal with those issues at this level. We know no other level of government can do that. And I feel confident that over the next week, as we continue to deal with the issues that we need to deal with before we take a recess to go home and work on our campaigns, that we will focus on the most important job of the Federal Government, and that is securing this country and focusing on the defense of this country and making sure that our citizens can go about their daily lives feeling safe as we did before 9/11 hit and as we will again. And I want to say to our leadership, you have done a wonderful job in taking us closer and closer to a time when we will be able to once again feel free to do all those things that we did before 9/11, and make sure that that kind of act never occurs in this country, and yet we maintain our constitutional rights and privileges and at the same time go after terrorists where we should be going after them.

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity to be here tonight and to share this time with my colleagues, several of whom I believe will be joining me. We are going to be talking tonight about national security. I want to start the evening with a very simple comment about a very simple item. I am wearing on my arm, or I have just taken off, a bracelet. These are very common these days to commemorate different things. It says AMAR. It represents AMAR Manufacturing Corporation. Today, in my home district in Davie County, we had a celebration about a new manufacturing plant that is going to open up. And it occurred to me as we were doing that today, and as I looked at this, that the people of America are going on about their business on a day- to-day basis, oblivious of the fact that there are many things going on in our country and outside our country to help us be secure. The American people are in many ways the most secure people in the world. We are used to going on about our business, having announcements of new businesses and just dealing on a day-to-day basis with taking our children to school, taking them to football practice, to baseball practice, doing all of those things that we are used to doing because we live in a very secure Nation. It is the role of the Federal Government to keep our Nation secure. The number one responsibility of the Federal Government is the defense of this Nation, and a large part of the defense of this Nation again is tied up in the word security. So we want to talk tonight a little bit about what has happened to threaten that security in the last 30 years or so and what we have done as a Republican Congress in order to bring back a sense of security to our Nation. We will talk about horrific events that have happened in the past but also talk about the many achievements that have occurred especially in the last 5 years in terms of our bringing back a sense of security and our making sure that in the future the things that we are doing now can be built upon and can allow the people of this country to go about their daily routines and feel secure and not feel threatened in the things that they want to do. The United States of America has never been an aggressor nation. We have always focused again on providing for the freedom that we have in this country and making sure that what the average American takes for granted every day will be there for him or her. I want to recognize now my wonderful colleague, the gentlewoman from Tennessee, Congresswoman Blackburn, who is such an articulate spokesperson for so many of the issues that we discuss on the floor of the House. She is going to help talk about the issue of national security. I think she is going to give a little perspective on where we have come from and where we are now in terms of dealing with this issue. I would like to recognize again my colleague, the gentlewoman from Tennessee, Congresswoman Blackburn.

Ms. FOXX

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to highlight the hypocrisy of the Democrats and their so-called agenda for the war on terror. They have said much, yet done nothing; and actions speak louder than words. One of the most critical programs in winning the global war on terror is military tribunals for known and suspected terrorists. Military tribunals for enemy combatants are commonsense justice and need to be instituted for just this reason. Under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, terrorists would be allowed the opportunity to mount a full defense, certain statements obtained through interrogation would not be admissible, and they would be provided a defense counsel, one with clearance to review classified information on the terrorists' behalf. But to afford terrorists the rights to review classified information for their defense is irresponsible and would only put our troops in jeopardy. I was shocked to learn that when the U.S. Supreme Court handed down its Hamdan ruling, providing foreign terrorists the same rights and privileges as Americans tried by a jury composed of the very people they want to kill, the Democratic leadership hailed this as a ``triumph for the rule of law.'' Mr. Speaker, giving the President the authority and legal framework for trying known and suspected terrorists must be granted if we are serious in bringing terrorists to justice and winning the global war on terror.

Ms. FOXX

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague from Tennessee (Mr. Wamp) for organizing this event tonight, and the other ones that he has mentioned. I think it is important that we stand up here and explain to the American people things that they may not hear on their local television station, and that we let folks know how strongly some of us feel about what is happening in this world and what options we have and what things we ought to be doing about it. Mr. Speaker, the proliferation of Islam extremism and jihadism has already inflicted our Nation with great pain; and it continues to grow and spread. And it is our job to continue to fight these Islamofascists on their land and on our terms. Any other option is unacceptable. When the Islamic religion is perverted, twisted and turned into an excuse for hatred, violence and the extermination of entire populations, we must stand against it and remain steadfast in our battle to eliminate this extremism. This situation has been brewing for a long time. It is not something that just happened overnight. It is a clash of ideologies. It is a fight between freedom and democracy versus terrorism and tyranny. This is a battle we cannot afford to lose. To allow the terrorists to win would destroy America and modern civilization as a whole. We must persist in rooting out terrorist cells and those who preach hatred and death and continue to adapt to the needs of the war on terror to ensure security, stability and freedom throughout the world. Make no mistake about it, this goal will yield a prolonged effort. We must never forget the day America awoke to the frightening new world where jihadists flew planes into buildings, killing over 3,000 innocent civilians. While we have yet to experience another attack on American soil, there are continuous plots that have been executed and others that have been foiled. The bombing of a night club in Bali, the bombing of a commuter train in Spain, and the bombings last summer in London on the subway and buses are only a brief list of terrorist attacks that have been planned and executed by Islamofascists. Yet, through intelligence sharing, surveillance programs, and effective antiterrorist initiatives, other plans have been foiled, such as the attempt of shoe bomber Richard Reed and the recent plot to blow up planes en route to the United States from Great Britain. Furthermore, due to the nature of their work, the greatest success by those in our intelligence community will never be known. There is no negotiating with Islamofascists who demand death and violence against anyone who does not accept their warped world view. We must remain vigilant against this very brutal and very real threat. As I speak of the rising threat of Islamofascism and its role in the global war on terror, I must object to the unbelievable and outright deceptive speech of the President of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. While we should be condemning such tyrannical leaders who preach hate and destruction, I was stunned that he was given the opportunity to address the United Nations, an organization whose resolutions he has repeatedly ignored. It points out again how dysfunctional the U.N. has become. He mentioned that justice was a victim of force and aggression, which it certainly was when he participated in the overthrow of the American embassy in Iran in 1979 and held American hostages for 444 days. He spoke of ridding the world of nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons, yet he continually refuses to halt the production of enriched uranium in Iran. He wants to rid the world of aggression and strive for peace, even though he created a proxy war in Lebanon and continually funnels weapons to Hezbollah. I was astonished when he spoke of dignity for all human beings and his longing for peace. These words are surprising to hear from a man who has prayed for the demise of America and constantly calls for Israel to be wiped off the map. His biography reads like a horror novel, directing multiple assignments while he was in elite military units and working with Ansar-I Hizbullah, the violent Islamic vigilante group. His main goal is the destruction of Western Civilization. That speech was a complete farce. He has shown his true agenda time after time, and one misleading speech at the United Nations will not fool America or the world. While we witnessed the Iranian dictator lecture us on freedom, democracy and justice, it is ironic that in his own country this tyrant denies his own people the basic rights of freedom of speech and freedom to assemble. His speech focused on freedom, justice and dignity for human beings. But as the president, he has done nothing to bring any of his so-called goals to his own people. Women are denied rights of inheritance, divorce and child custody, and use of their rights of self-expression and economic creativity. Basic rights are denied to the people of Iran, and that is why, even with the soaring prices of oil, more than 40 percent of the Iranians live below the poverty line. Today in Iran, dissent is brutally suppressed and terror is the regime's only instrument of domestic or foreign policy. While he may resent us for being powerful, he does not realize that the foundation of our power is rooted in the freedom of our great people to pursue happiness, to innovate and to speak freely. This tyrant accuses the free world that they are denying the people of Iran their right to nuclear energy. Yet he forgets that the Islamic regime is denying the great people of Iran their God-given rights to self-respect and human dignity. He spoke of universal justice, yet he denies the existence of the Holocaust. This regime wrongfully portrays the war on terror as a war of civilizations. Yet, he uses every opportunity to export its brutal ideology violently to other nations. We are not at war with any peaceful religion or civilization. We are at war with terrorists, and terrorists' warped interpretation of religion. We need to protect the civilized world from the threat that these people represent. Mr. Speaker, we suffered a setback on the war on terrorism by allowing this terrorist a podium from which to address the world. And, again, I think that it is our place here in the United States Congress to remind the world of who is the country that represents true freedom, true democracy, true opportunity for people, and to continue to bring this message to people and speak the truth, instead of allowing people like that to come to this country and live in a fantasy world that they live in. Again, I want to thank my colleagues for being here tonight, and for the other times that they have been here to bring this message to the country and to anyone who is watching us. I want to turn the time back over to my colleague, Mr. Wamp from Tennessee.

Ms. FOXX

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, today I rise in strong support of H.R. 6095, the Immigration Law Enforcement Act of 2006 and to affirm the inherent authority of State and local law enforcement to assist in the implementation of our immigration laws. This year, I had the privilege to participate in two Government Reform Subcommittee field hearings in North Carolina on this very subject, one of which took place in my district. Illegal immigration has consistently been the No. 1 topic prompting my constituents to write and call my office. It is also the No. 1 problem expressed to me by many of the local officials I represent. In recent years, State and local governments have had to make extraordinary adjustments to accommodate illegal immigration. Over 300,000 illegal aliens are estimated to reside in North Carolina, and that number is increasing. As a whole, our counties and communities, now saturated with illegal aliens, are spending billions of dollars on public health, public education, law enforcement and social services for people who are residing here illegally. Every dollar spent on an illegal alien is a dollar diverted away from a law abiding, tax-paying citizen. Illegal immigration affects virtually every aspect of life in America. Few States have had to struggle with this burden as much as North Carolina, where the illegal immigration population is rapidly approaching half a million. North Carolina is currently one of the six major destination States for illegal aliens and has one of the five highest ratios of illegal immigrants to legal immigrants. During the 90s, the immigrant population of Forsyth County alone exploded by 515 percent, meaning that two-thirds of the county's foreign-born population had entered in just 10 years. My State's government estimates that Medicaid costs due to illegal immigration have doubled in 5 years. The State is spending over $200 million annually to educate the children of illegal aliens, more than a 2,000 percent increase in 10 years. Across the State, the criminal justice system is disrupted as courts and law enforcement struggle, particularly in rural counties, to find translators to assist in investigations and court proceedings for foreign-speaking defendants. Too many stresses and strains are being put on State and local governments at once and there is a clear need for government officials at all levels to decisively reverse these trends. It is in cities like Winston-Salem, as well as smaller communities, that the presence of illegal aliens who've committed other crimes is most keenly felt. One solution to these dilemmas that has been growing in use since it was first tried in 2002 is known as the ``287(g) cross- designation training'' program. By the authority of section 287(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, the Department of Homeland Security can enter into assistance agreements with State and local agencies. The 287(g) training and certification gives local law enforcement a vital tool in combating the growing problems from illegal immigration. Many illegal aliens who've committed crimes in America can now be held and processed for deportation or Federal prosecution through use of the 287(g) program. State and local officers can even interview suspects and prison inmates to determine if immigration laws have been violated; they can process and fingerprint them for such violations; and they can prepare documents for deportation and refer criminal aliens to ICE for potential Federal prosecution. It is the constitutional responsibility of the Federal Government to protect the borders and enforce our laws. Given the scope of the problem of illegal immigration, the Federal Government should move quickly to provide authority to State and local law enforcement to combat illegal immigration. We will never get a handle on this growing problem if we don't.

Ms. FOXX

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, it is my honor today to rise and commend the Skyline Membership Corporation for its enormous contributions not only to the Fifth District of North Carolina, but also to our Nation and the global war on terror. It is my pleasure to congratulate them upon receiving the 2006 Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve's Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award. It is of great note that they are only one of 15 recipients this year. This award publicly recognizes employers for exceptional support for the National Guard and reservists above Federal law requirements. This award, the ESGR, as it is commonly known, is the highest in a series of Department of Defense awards that honors employers who provide excellent support for their excellent Guard and Reserve employees. The Skyline Membership Corporation is a local member-owned cooperative established in 1951 to help bring telephone service to rural communities, and I am a member. Since its inception it has grown into the second largest of the nine telephone cooperatives in North Carolina. Today it serves over 360,000 access lines, covering an 840- square-mile area in northwest North Carolina and Tennessee. Skyline Membership Corporation is governed by a nine-member board of directors and operates with a staff of 125 employees. Today it has expanded to provide a number of telecommunications services and has promoted job growth and economic development. It is a leading example of a prosperous business that also played an integral role in community development. The ESGR is a Department of Defense agency that was established in 1972 by the Secretary of Defense William Perry with the sole purpose to gain and maintain active support for the National Guard and Reserve from all private and public employers. I am honored and thrilled that such a fantastic business in North Carolina has been one of the 15 chosen out of thousands of companies across the country. It goes to show that in the Fifth District of North Carolina, we have some of the hardest-working people who are dedicated to our country and have a steadfast resolve to support our Nation. They are committed to shield it from terrorism and ensure our Nation is protected by their brave employees who choose to answer the call of our country. This is a true honor for Skyline Membership Corporation. It is being recognized alongside major businesses such as DuPont, Starbucks, MGM Mirage and various large public agencies for its contributions to the Guard and Reserve units. This award exemplifies the commitment and leadership of the corporation and their determination to encourage their employees to answer the call of their Nation in a time of need. While fighting the global war on terror, companies such as Skyline are inextricably linked to our Nation's security by sharing their most valuable asset, their employees. One example of its steadfast dedication, not only to the global war on terror, is that they ensure their employees have the best possible accommodations overseas. One example is the recent action the Skyline Membership Corporation took to support their employee's unit overseas in Iraq. Upon learning that an employee's unit was in dire need of lightweight cabin cots for shelter from insects, sand, heat and other elements, the Skyline Corporation sent 44 cots in a matter of days to that employee's units. Skyline has gone above and beyond the call. That is why they have been chosen for such a prestigious award. It has supported its employees who are serving their country by answering the call to go to such places as Iraq and Afghanistan. Skyline has provided everything from continued benefits during deployment to care packages. Not only are the folks at Skyline making a difference in their employees' lives, but they are supporting our military and Nation's security. Skyline has been such a successful business because of the strong leadership it has shown. It recognizes that when hiring National Guard and Reserve members, it can expect superior employees whose military training instills them with virtues such as efficiency, dedication, loyalty and teamwork. These employees share dedication to excellence, which has made Skyline a successful business, and, in turn, Skyline has returned the favor by encouraging and supporting its employees in every way possible to serve our country. Skyline recognizes the importance of national security and serving our Nation. Its actions are truly deserving of the honor of such a prestigious award. I wish Skyline all the best, and I have a message for them. Keep up the good work. You have made North Carolina and our Nation proud I am pleased to be able to commend Skyline Membership Corporation for its tremendous contributions to our Nation and to its employees. In a post 9/11 world their work, support and leadership exemplifies the best there is in North Carolina and highlights the exemplary work of the people of Western NC. Again, I commend The Skyline Corporation for its service, support and dedication.

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I ask permission to address the House for 5 minutes.

Ms. FOXX

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the President's initiative to surveil known and suspected terrorists who call from outside the United States into their calls within our borders. Simply put, this initiative has saved lives by gathering valuable intelligence our law enforcement has used to prevent and foil terrorist attacks that have and continue to be planned, as I speak. It simply escapes me how anyone, especially the Democrats, could be against such a vital program in the global war on terror. Maybe my colleagues are confused about the purpose and parameters of this program. This is not a program to listen in on American citizens' conversations. To the contrary, it is a narrowly tailored program that is used only in the case of international calls coming into the United States from known or suspected terrorists. As a Nation, we are facing a new kind of war and an enemy using new and unconventional means of warfare. Many have characterized this war as a clash of civilizations. It is time we face the realization that we can use all of the tools available to win this war, or we can ignore the threat and pay heavy consequences through American lives.

Ms. FOXX

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5664) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 110 Cooper Street in Babylon, New York, as the ``Jacob Fletcher Post Office Building,'' as amended.

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 5664, offered by the distinguished gentleman from New York (Mr. King) would designate the post office building in Babylon, New York, as the Jacob Samuel Fletcher Post Office Building. Mr. Speaker, Jacob Fletcher's love for his country was second to none, and his patriotism was evident in his service in the United States Army. He was a 1994 Babylon High School graduate who enlisted in the Army shortly after the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. After completing basic training, he continued on to earn his wings as a paratrooper. Based in Camp Ederle, Italy, Jacob Fletcher was one of the first Americans to land, along with his fellow paratroopers, just north of Baghdad during the first week of the war. Jacob, just 11 days shy of his 29th birthday, was killed on November 13, 2003, when a roadside bomb exploded next to the bus he was on in the town of Samarra. With gratitude for his bravery and sacrifice to our country, I ask all Members to join me in naming the Babylon, New York, postal facility in his honor. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from New York (Mr. King).

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to support the passage of H.R. 5664, and yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. FOXX

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from Pennsylvania (Ms. Hart).

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to support the passage of H.R. 4768. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4768) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 777 Corporation Street in Beaver, Pennsylvania, as the ``Robert Linn Memorial Post Office Building''.

Ms. FOXX

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4586) to extend the authorization of the Benjamin Franklin Tercen- tenary Commission, as amended.

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Ms. FOXX

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, yesterday, we witnessed an Iranian dictator lecture us on freedom, democracy and justice. Ironically, in his own country, this tyrant denies his own people the basic rights of freedom of speech and freedom to assemble. Women are denied rights of inheritance, divorce and child custody, and youth of their rights of self-expression and economic creativity. While he may resent us for being powerful, he does not realize that the foundation of our power is rooted in the freedom of our great people to pursue happiness, to innovate and to speak freely. These rights are denied to the people of Iran, and that is why, even with the soaring prices of oil, more than 40 percent of the Iranians are living below the poverty line. Today in Iran dissent is brutally repressed, and terror is the regime's only instrument for domestic or foreign policy. This tyrant accuses the free world that they are denying the people of Iran their rights to nuclear energy, yet he forgets that the Islamic regime is denying the great people of Iran their God-given rights to self-respect and human dignity. He spoke of universal justice, yet he denies the Holocaust, and has threatened to wipe Israel off the map. This regime wrongfully portrays the war on terror as a war of civilizations, yet uses every opportunity to export its brutal ideology, violently, to the other nations. We are not at war with any religion or civilization. We are at war with terrorism and terrorist interpretations of any religion. We need to protect the civilized world from the threat of Islamic fascism.

Ms. FOXX

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 6061, the Secure Fence Act of 2006. This bill will help secure the border and stem the unrelenting flow of illegal aliens into this country by authorizing 700 miles of two-layered reinforced fencing, mandating the Department of Homeland Security to achieve and maintain operational control over the entire border through various methods such as ground sensors, cameras and surveillance technology. It also requires the Department of Homeland Security to provide necessary authority to Border Patrol agents to disable fleeing vehicles, similar to the authority granted to the U.S. Coast Guard. The provisions in this bill will address our country's vulnerability and strengthen operational controls along our borders. Border fences have a proven success rate in drastically reducing the number of illegal aliens entering our country illegally. When enacted, this bill will dramatically reduce illegal immigration and make us safer. I have long been committed to stopping the flow of illegal immigration and securing our porous borders. My constituents have made it clear to me they want our borders secure, our laws enforced and the flow of illegal immigration stopped immediately. The recent 22 immigration field hearings held across the country during the month of August yielded the same mandate from the American people, secure the borders now. The amnesty provisions contained in the Senate-passed immigration reform measure earlier this year would encourage future illegal immigration and reward those who have violated America's laws with a quick and easy path to citizenship. There is more to be done in dealing with illegal immigration, but securing the borders must be the first step. America cannot afford to wait any longer and I will continue to push to secure our borders now.