Chuck Fleischmann

Mr. FLEISCHMANN

Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to thank Mrs. Nell Mahoney for her years of columns in the Chattanooga Times Free Press, my hometown paper. Nell has written for the paper for 38 years. Her column has covered a wide array of topics but was largely focused on faith and spirituality. Her words touched many in the community, including my wife, Brenda, who eagerly awaited her column every Sunday. Nell moved to Chattanooga with her late husband, Reverend Ralph Mahoney, in 1965 and immediately ingrained herself not only in First Centenary United Methodist Church, but the entire town. While her column may be finished, her community involvement is certainly not. Mrs. Mahoney plans to continue teaching at the church, speaking around the community, and is considering writing a book. She has already written and published 13. Nell, thank you for giving so much of your time and for touching so many people throughout our community. I will close with a line from her favorite song, a classic from ``The Sound of Music'': So long, farewell. And thank you, Nell.

Mr. FLEISCHMANN

Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of this amendment, which will support the geosynthetic materials industry in this country. My amendment encourages the Federal Highway Administration to use geosynthetic material. Similar language, Mr. Chairman, encouraging the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was in the WRRDA bill and has been passed into law. If I may, Mr. Chairman, geosynthetics are a family of civil engineering solutions used in our national infrastructure. Since their introduction in the 1960s, geosynthetics are a proven versatile and cost-effective roadway reinforcement solution to our transportation needs. Their use has expanded into nearly all areas of civil and environmental engineering. This is a complementary material to traditional roadway and provides an alternative to traditional methods. If I may, the cost savings are tremendous. Geosynthetics are less costly to produce, transport, and install than comparable products and involves cost savings to the United States taxpayer. Reduced maintenance costs over time of the roadway have been proven with geosynthetic use. In addition, they have rapid construction and deployment. It is very flexible and quick to employ, including in inclement weather. Most of all, Mr. Chairman, this is an American jobs amendment. Over 40 manufacturers in North America produce geosynthetic materials. Also, 13,200 American jobs are involved in this. It is cost-effective, and it increases American jobs. This is something Members from both sides of the aisle support. I respectfully urge my colleagues to support this amendment to this transportation bill. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. FLEISCHMANN. I want to thank my colleague. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. FLEISCHMANN

Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Mr. Speaker, as the people of Taiwan celebrate their national holiday, Double Ten Day, on October 10th, I would like to extend my congratulations and best wishes to them. The United States and Taiwan enjoy a longstanding relationship that stems from our shared values: democracy, the rule of law, and free enterprise. Taiwan is a strong national security and economic partner. The island is now our 10th-largest trading partner. Also, Taiwan is the 5th largest export market for Asia in my home state of Tennessee. In recent decades, Taiwan has created a democracy which conducts direct presidential elections every four years and has witnessed the peaceful passage of power from one political party to another on two occasions. This serves as a powerful example to other nations in the region and beyond who aspire to democracy. Taiwan is a regional and global economic force, and they make global contributions culturally in many diverse fields, Through our shared security partnership, the island also contributes to the security of the Asia-Pacific and is a humanitarian force around the globe. I would like to congratulate Taiwan on the occasion of Double Ten Day, and I look forward to many more years of friendship between our two countries.

Mr. FLEISCHMANN

Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Mr. Speaker, last Thursday was a very difficult day in my beautiful hometown of Chattanooga, Tennessee. It was a day of horror; it was a day of terror, and it was a day like no other I have lived in my life. Today, I am joined in this great House by my colleagues from the Tennessee delegation. Chattanooga is my hometown. A lone gunman--a terrorist, an evil man--killed five wonderful United States servicemembers, four marines and one sailor. At two locations in Chattanooga, he opened fire. There was devastation; there was death, and there was horror, and I am so deeply saddened. Before I ask Members for a moment of silence, I am going to ask this great House--the people's House--for something special because, through all the carnage in the face of evil, I saw Chattanoogans come together with good. In the face of despair, I saw Chattanoogans come together with hope. I saw something in my darkest hour; I saw the greatness in America. Catholics, Protestants, Jews, Whites, Blacks, and Latinos came together. We prayed together. We hoped for better days together. We honored the men and women who serve us in all of our branches together. I feel for our great marines. I feel for our Navy in these difficult times. Let me tell you this: the Chattanooga Police Department selflessly showed up and fought this terrorist and killed him. Hamilton County police were there. While a brave sailor tried to cling to life, I saw throngs of doctors and nurses at Erlanger hospital giving their best skills to try to save this man. Sadly, they were unsuccessful. This is a day I never want to see again. I ask you that we resolve to keep all American servicemen and -women safe here on American soil. We must do that. We owe that to those five wonderful lives that we lost, all precious. I am going to ask for all of us to be Chattanooga strong. I am going to ask all of us to please come together as Americans. I will read the name of those five outstanding folks: United States Marine Gunnery Sergeant Thomas J. Sullivan; United States Marine Staff Sergeant David Allen Wyatt; United States Marine Sergeant Carson Allen Louis Holmquist; United States Marine Lance Corporal Squire Kimpton Paul Wells; and United States Navy Petty Officer Second Class Randall Smith. Mr. Speaker, I ask for a moment of silence in honor of these great Americans.

Mr. FLEISCHMANN

Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that my name be removed as a cosponsor of H.R. 2722.

Mr. FLEISCHMANN

Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Madam Chairman, I would like to thank the Appropriations Committee and the chairman for acting to impose greater discipline on the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. We know that the future of nuclear power in the United States depends on having a credible nuclear safety regulator and depends on the industry continuing to perform at a high level of safety. We feel strongly that the agency must continue its core mission of protecting the public health and safety, but the NRC must do so in a manner that does not add to the economic headwinds that the industry faces. Thanks to the scientific breakthroughs and renewed interest in nuclear energy, our Nation has an incredible opportunity to develop new sources of power that can provide affordable and reliable energy. I hope that the NRC can work with industry to seize these opportunities, while fulfilling its mission to ensure public safety. I support the committee's direction to require the NRC's rulemaking process to be commission-driven in order to provide greater discipline, transparency, efficiency, and accountability.

Mr. FLEISCHMANN

Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Mr. Speaker, Chattanooga, Tennessee, the great State of Tennessee, and our Nation lost a wonderful man last Friday. Scotty Probasco, my dear friend, passed away suddenly. All of this week, we have had memorials, tributes, eulogies--all justly deserved for this great man. I was wondering what I was going to say today as I put together these notes, but I want all of America to know about this special man and my dear friend. Scotty Probasco was born on November 26, 1928. He attended the Bright School in Chattanooga. He attended the Baylor School in Chattanooga, Dartmouth College, and then the Wharton School at Penn. He was a gifted man, a very bright man, a great businessman, but he was a giver. As I was thinking this week as to what I was going to say about Scotty, it was what did Scotty mean to me and what did Scotty mean to our community and to our Nation. Scotty was something else. He would walk into a room, and he would smile. I think of Scotty Probasco's smile. Always an optimist. In our profession, sometimes you have good days and bad days. Whenever I would run into Scotty, he would smile and always encourage me, but he didn't just do that with me; he did that with everyone. As most of you all know, I proclaim Chattanooga is the greatest midsized city in America, sometimes as the greatest midsized city in the world. It is because of people like Scotty Probasco that we got there. Scotty was truly outstanding. He gave and he gave and he gave. As a community leader, whether it was the United Way or any other charity, he was always there. As a man of Christ, he was there for the First Presbyterian Church. He is survived by his loving wife, Betty; by their four children, Scott, Zane, Ellen, and Ben; and by 12 wonderful grandchildren. As I think of what our Nation needs today more than ever it is more Scotty Probascos--folks who will always accentuate the positive, who are always looking for the good in people, and who are always encouraging us to do our best. There is always a loss when we lose a friend, and there was a great loss when Chattanooga lost Scotty Probasco last week, and we all feel that. We feel that dearly. I feel that dearly. Yet, when I think of the generations to come and of the generosity, of the philanthropy, and of the kindness of Scotty Probasco and what that means to us as a people, this will be his legacy. I am going to say something to him and to his great family today: Scotty Probasco, thank you, dear friend. Thank you for a job well done, and God bless you.

Mr. FLEISCHMANN

Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Madam Chairman, I rise in support of the 2015 Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act. Our subcommittee has worked diligently on this legislation, and I want to thank Chairman Carter and the entire staff for countless hours they have put in crafting the bill before us today. This legislation prioritizes our national security and strengthens border security, while addressing numerous issues that have arisen in the past year. Last year, tens of thousands of unaccompanied alien children entered the United States illegally while the administration sat on its hands. Rather than deal with the crisis, the President further exacerbated the problem and encouraged more people to try to bypass the legal immigration process when he granted executive amnesty to millions of illegal immigrants. Today, the House has the opportunity to correct these mistakes by passing this legislation. In addition to the responsible and deliberate funding levels laid out in the bill, House Republicans are offering key amendments to completely defund the President's executive actions and restore order to the legal administration process by ensuring that those who came here illegally will not be allowed to bypass those who sought to come here through the right and legal way. I urge my colleagues to vote for these provisions and the underlying bill.

Mr. FLEISCHMANN

Mr. FLEISCHMANN. ``The Senate shall have the sole power to try all impeachments. When sitting for that purpose, they shall be on oath or affirmation. When the President of the United States is tried, the Chief Justice shall preside: and no person shall be convicted without the concurrence of two thirds of the Members present.''

Mr. FLEISCHMANN

Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the ABLE Act, with over 380 cosponsors. It is a wonderful piece of legislation that is going to help American families, and there is a key provision of this act which is going to fix a broken problem. I came to Congress to fix broken problems with commonsense solutions. Earlier this year, this body, the Senate, and the President passed the water resources bill, which fundamentally fixed the problem of the inland waterway trust fund, but it was still underfunded. I want to thank colleagues on both sides of this House for working with me--for working hard--to get an industry-supported user fee of 9 cents. What that will mean is that locks like the Chickamauga Lock in Chattanooga, which is near and dear to our district, and locks all over this country will now be able to be properly funded in the way in which they were intended. Together, we can work hard to fix these problems. I urge the support of the ABLE Act, and I thank my colleagues for working hard to support this industry-supported user fee.

Mr. FLEISCHMANN

Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Mr. Speaker, this weekend the Third District of Tennessee lost a beloved member of its community, Mr. Harold Coker. As the first in his family to graduate from college, Harold displayed his unique ambition at a young age. In his late twenties, he started his own business, Coker Tire Company, in Athens, Tennessee. Thanks to Harold's hard work and dedication, Coker Tire expanded into Chattanooga and soon became the largest supplier of collector tires in the world. Harold's involvement and leadership in his community was admired throughout the Nation. In fact, when the first of my colleagues, Sam Graves, the chairman of the House Committee on Small Business, visited the Third District, I took him directly to Coker Tire to show him one of Chattanooga's most prized businesses. I am grateful for the opportunity to have worked with Harold and will miss his lively, ambitious spirit. My thoughts and prayers are with his beloved wife, Lil, and their children, grandchildren, and great- grandchildren. Harold's legacy in the automotive industry and Tennessee community will forever be remembered.

Mr. FLEISCHMANN

Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Mr. Speaker, members of the Oak Ridge, Tennessee scientific community are mourning the recent passing of Dean Waters, a community leader and a pioneer in nuclear physics. Dean Waters was an innovator in the field of uranium enrichment centrifuge technology--a technology that creates the fuel that provides nearly 20 percent of our electricity, powers our nuclear Navy and protects our national security. After earning two undergraduate degrees at Yale and a master's degree in nuclear engineering from North Carolina State University, Dean Waters worked for 54 years on the development and deployment of gas centrifuge technology for uranium enrichment. In 1977, President Carter presented Dean with the E.O. Lawrence Award for his contributions to the uranium enrichment technology. The Award is given only to those ``who helped elevate American physics to world leadership.'' Dean obtained more than 18 patents in the United States and England throughout his career. In the early 1980s, Dean was the lead engineer at the Union Carbide/ Martin Marietta project, which was responsible for developing the gas centrifuge process. He led a technology team of 500 people. Later, he was named chief scientist of the USEC ``American Centrifuge'' program. He was instrumental in preserving the core of the 1980s government program that served as the basis for a private sector investment. The program re-established American leadership in advanced centrifuge design. Dean served as a mentor to many who now carry on the banner of this critical technology. Dean Waters was active in the National Society of Professional Engineers, the American Society of Engineering Management, and the Oak Ridge Rotary Club, where he served as president. Beyond his accomplished professional life, he was active in his church and community charities and was a competitive yachtsman, runner and cycler. Many of Dean's accomplishments will forever be cloaked under the mantle of national security. What is certain is that his decades of leadership in the realm of uranium centrifuge technology are manifest today in a state-of-the-art American centrifuge technology. This indigenous form of uranium enrichment will enable the United States to maintain its national security, remain a positive force in the arena of nuclear nonproliferation and provide the fuel for future nuclear power plants, which will provide millions of people with reliable electricity while combating the effects of climate change. As a nation, we should be grateful for the contributions of Dean Waters--a scientist and patriot--whose achievements in nuclear physics will stand forever as a source of inspiration to scientists in Oak Ridge and around the world.

Mr. FLEISCHMANN

Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the American Super Computing Leadership Act, H.R. 2495. I want to commend Mr. Hultgren, Ms. Bonamici, and our chairman for their support of this great legislation. As part of my representation of the great people of the Third District of Tennessee, Oak Ridge is right in the heart of my district. This is the city that won the cold war. This is the city which was the birthplace of the Manhattan Project. These are wonderful people, and in that city sits the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, I believe one of the premier national labs in a great national lab system. Oak Ridge National Laboratory has been in the forefront of the leadership on high-speed computing. I also want to commend our lab director, Dr. Thom Mason, for leading the way in supercomputing. His great successes in upgrading our computing facilities and in working with the other Department of Energy labs has been critical for the greater good of our Nation. As my colleagues have already articulated, exascale is the next level. Right now, we are at a level called petaflop. Exascale is the next level. Ladies and gentlemen, a short time ago, the United States was number one. During my tenure in Congress, a couple of years ago, it was number one in the world in supercomputing. I want to maintain that we move forward and become number one again. We cannot let the Chinese or any other nation beat us in this fight. It is critically important. Why is exascale and supercomputing very important? I have actually seen these roomfuls of computers. It is critically important to our economic security as a Nation. All Members of this great House want America to be great again, and supercomputing is going to lead the way. This is an economic security issue, as every area of our economy is dependent on this. Banking, manufacturing, health care, commerce, and communication are all critically dependent on supercomputing. I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle for their strong support of H.R. 2495, the American Super Computing Leadership Act.

Mr. FLEISCHMANN

Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Mr. Speaker, when I was elected by the great people of the 3rd District of Tennessee in 2010, I vowed to come to Washington, D.C., to fix broken systems. This bill today--and I thank Chairman Shuster--does that. The Inland Waterways Trust Fund is a flawed, broken system. For those who might not know, all the funds have been going to one lock, starving out the other locks in the entire system. In my beloved city, my home city of Chattanooga, there sits a lock that has been mothballed because this system has been broken. Finally, this great House has solved this problem. It is a huge step in the right direction, ladies and gentlemen, to make sure that we ultimately fund all of the locks in this system. The fixing of the Inland Waterways Trust Fund, which is so flawed and broken by this bill, ultimately will get the needed funds to Chickamauga Lock and other locks and infrastructure in this country. I am proud to support this bill. I am so proud to be part of a body that after 4 years of tireless work has acknowledged this situation. Thank you.

Mr. FLEISCHMANN

Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Mr. Speaker, to my distinguished colleagues from New Jersey and from New York, I thank both of you all for addressing this issue, which is of national importance. What both of my colleagues have said, Mr. Speaker, is correct. Cancer is a hideous disease, and we need a national commitment to beat this horrific disease. I want to talk tonight to the American people about a personal experience that I had with cancer. At the same time, I want to also, as my distinguished colleagues did, honor the American Society of Clinical Oncology for their efforts to fight cancer. When I was 9 years old, my mother developed breast cancer. I was more worried about playing baseball, being a kid; and I can remember vividly the doctor saying: your mother has cancer. My parents were from the World War II generation. My mother was born in 1922, my dad in 1925, and they did not have a formal education; but I knew something was very wrong that night, and I knew my mother was going to have breast cancer surgery, but I didn't know what cancer was. We had hoped and prayed that she would get better. Well, about 2 years later, unfortunately, that cancer did metastasize. At the time, my father was working away several hundred miles to keep a job, and I was an only child, and I can remember my mother waking up screaming in pain. Actually, I didn't realize the cancer had come back, and actually, I called my dad, at that time, who was working in Pittsburgh; and basically, he called the surgeon, and the surgeon said: bring her on in, but I think the cancer is back. Unfortunately, despite some chemotherapy and treatment, she lost that battle to cancer when I was 13 years old. I was a freshman in high school. That so impacted my life, my father's life, our entire outlook about cancer. My father came from a generation where a cancer diagnosis was a death sentence, sadly. I can remember him crying when my mother was first diagnosed. He was crying uncontrollably, and I didn't understand why. He said: no, no, no, this is going to be awful. Sadly, it was. Interestingly enough, my father did live to the ripe old age of 87\1/2\, but I was before my subcommittee--and for the people watching tonight, I serve on the House Appropriations Committee, and one of my subcommittees is the Labor, Education, and Health and Human Services Committee, which actually funds the National Institutes of Health and the National Cancer Institute. So for those watching--and I applaud my colleague from New Jersey when he was talking about all the other committees, but this committee actually funds research, and it is so, so critically important. I was actually talking to the head of the NIH at that day and went outside and got a call from my father's doctor. He indicated that my father had an esophageal cancer. Again, despite the fact that I was almost 50 years old and had a law degree, I didn't understand the gravity of that. Fortunately, in this great body, in the House of Representatives, I serve with some very fine doctors, men and women who are outstanding doctors. I sat down with some of them, and they told me the gravity of the situation. Sadly, my father lost that battle to esophageal cancer in 3 months. I went with him to the doctor, and I saw him through that process, and it was a sad process. What we all know, this story that I have shared and that I have experienced has been experienced by millions of Americans. And sadly, the statistics show that cancer is on the rise, the incidence of cancer is on the rise. Again, my colleagues alluded to the fact that President Nixon declared war on cancer many years ago. Well, this is a war that is ongoing, and this is a fight that we cannot lose. America ought to lead the way. In this body, we control spending. We should control the spending. But I think sometimes about all of the waste, fraud, and abuse, duplicative programs and the like where we could actually show a great resolve--not as Republicans, not as Democrats, but as Americans--to beat this hideous disease. And I do want to commend the men and women who are oncologists who fight this fight every day. In my district, the Third District of Tennessee, I have some very fine cities. One of those cities is Oak Ridge. And in Oak Ridge is the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and that laboratory is doing groundbreaking cancer research. So there is a Federal component to this. Our great universities are fighting this great fight. And when I have young men and women come to me and say, ``What should I do when I grow up?'' I suggest medicine. It is a noble profession. It still is. I feel sorry for a lot of the folks who are doctors today because they are facing a lot of challenges, and I think this body ought to resolve to help that profession so that profession, including the oncologists, can continue to provide the health care necessary to fight cancer and other diseases. But as we move forward as a nation, I would just hope that we would stop and think about the magnitude of the effect of this horrific disease. Cancer one is not cancer two. There is no question about that. We have made tremendous strides toward several cancers, and that is great. We need to defeat breast cancer, but we need to defeat all cancers. I was so sad to learn that the fight against so many cancers has still been futile. There are so many cancers out there that the success or survival rate is still so low. And I have learned that, actually, as a Congressman. For those watching, I know our popularity and our numbers in this body sometimes are not that high, but I want to assure the American people that one of the things I do best and I think my colleagues do best is we get educated. People come from around the world, from around the country, constituents, oncologists, doctors, scientists, and they educate us, Mr. Speaker. They educate us about the progress being made on cancer or, sadly, in some cases, the lack of progress being made. So it is my commitment not only to my constituents, but to all Americans. And I am proud to serve in this body. This is the people's House. This is a wonderful, wonderful body. Our Founding Fathers gave us this body, and our men and women who are fighting to preserve our freedoms in uniform every day allow us to have the great debates that go on in this Chamber. But there must be a resolve, Mr. Speaker, to defeat cancer. We can do it. The cure for cancer is out there. The strides are being made. And as we work together as Americans, I sincerely hope that we can beat this hideous disease and help the men and women who are going through this and their families. The toll on families is horrific. I saw that as a young boy. I saw it as an adult man. So, again, I want to thank the oncologists for fighting the good fight. I want to thank my colleagues for allowing me to address this issue tonight. And it is my fervent hope and prayer that we address this, as Americans, and defeat this hideous disease.

Mr. FLEISCHMANN

Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Mr. Speaker, today, I rise to honor America's teachers. I do that because I spoke with my 17-year-old son, who is a junior at Silverdale Baptist Academy, and he was asking me about teachers. Now, most of you all know I had two elementary schools, three middle schools, and two high schools in my own career. I told my son how important teaching is. Just think about it: all across America today and in all of our 50 States, teachers are teaching and inspiring our children. Education is critically important, whether it is in the private sector or in the public sector. It is so critically important that we get it right, and teaching is such a noble profession. I wanted to rise today, Mr. Speaker, and just say thank you to our Nation's teachers. Keep up the great work. Keep inspiring our young minds, so that we can continue to move ahead as a great Nation.

Mr. FLEISCHMANN

Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 591, I was unavoidably detained--I would have voted, ``yes.''

Mr. FLEISCHMANN

Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the 3.5 million people who have, to date, lost their health care coverage thanks to ObamaCare and in support of the reported 10 million Americans who could lose their coverage between now and the end of the year. Mr. Speaker, President Obama promised again and again that Americans who liked their health care plans would be able to keep them. Well, we know now that is simply not the case. In my hometown of Ooltewah, Tennessee, Lynn Davis, who moved to Tennessee to care for her elderly parents, had health care coverage she liked and could afford. Now her plan is going away, and she is likely to be paying as much as $300 more per month. That is an additional $3,600 per year for something she doesn't want and doesn't need. Mr. Speaker, this isn't right. Our economy is struggling enough as it is. The last thing the American people need is an additional financial burden thrust on them by the Federal Government. ObamaCare needs to go. But at the very least, the President needs to accept the Keep Your Health Plan Act and uphold his promise to the American people.

Mr. FLEISCHMANN

Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong support of this water resources bill, and I commend the chairman of the full committee, the ranking member, and the entire Transportation Committee for this bill. Ladies and gentlemen, this is a bill that is a step in the right direction. I represent Chattanooga, Tennessee. We have all heard of the Chattanooga Choo Choo, but there is another place called the Chickamauga Lock in Chattanooga. This bill basically does something that I have been working on so hard since I have been in Congress. It is a step in the right direction to finally work towards funding the Chickamauga Lock. What it does, basically, is it reforms the Inland Waterways Trust Fund. This is a trust fund right now that is fundamentally broken. Why? Because what it does is it sends all of the money to one particular lock project and starves out all of the other lock projects in the system, including Chickamauga. This bill is a great step in the right direction because it basically works to fund it. In addition to that, it is a good bill because it restores, unlike the Senate bill, the power to the Congress, in determining the funding of these locks. Let me end by saying this. Our waterways transportation fund is critically important to this Nation, not as Democrats and Republicans, but as Americans. I know in my home city of Chattanooga, this lock, which is stopped in construction, needs to have construction started again. These are American jobs. These are American exports. These are American goods. This is a bill that is a step in the right direction for a great America.

Mr. FLEISCHMANN

Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Mr. Chairman, thank you. To all of my colleagues in this great United States House of Representatives, I want to ask each and every one of you to support this bill. Mr. Speaker, I am privileged to represent the Third District of Tennessee. In the Third District of Tennessee is a very special city. It's called Oak Ridge. At one point in time, it was called the Secret City. That's where we had the Manhattan Project and brought World War II to a close because of the efforts of the men and women who worked there and who succeeded there. We won the Cold War there. Today, this bill does one very specific thing: it honors the almost 5,000 workers who work every day at the Y-12 National Security Complex for our nuclear deterrent. Let me be clear: this is not a matter of partisan politics; this is a matter of national security. So I stand here, putting a very human face on this for the workers who work hard every day, who have toiled for years. They deserve better, and this bill does that. Again, let me be clear: Y-12 is going through an orderly shutdown. We cannot allow this to happen, not as Republicans, not as Democrats, but as Americans. The Nation's security is at risk. This bill keeps Y-12 open, and this is exactly what we need to do. Let's put aside the partisan rhetoric, and let's honor the hardworking men and women of Y-12. Let's keep them working, and let's keep the greatest Nation on the face of the Earth safe and secure.

Mr. FLEISCHMANN

Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Madam Speaker, I spoke earlier on the floor today, and I think it is wonderful that we are having this great debate in this great Chamber. Obviously, this is a bipartisan issue, and I am so glad that some of my colleagues from the other side of the aisle have joined me in this great debate for sugar reform. I represent the great Third District of Tennessee, and I have spent a lot of time in my district in manufacturing plants where I believe, and I would argue, that we manufacture the best baked goods in the country, some of the finest candies in the country, and we distribute these goods all over our great Nation. We use sugar. We use a lot of sugar. But as we have been involved in this great debate and since the last time on the farm bill, I have noticed a couple of things. It is just not working. Since we had that last vote, it has cost the American taxpayer over $250 million. In addition to that, I have made a commitment to the workers in these plants that I am going to fight hard to keep their jobs in the United States of America, in particular in the great Third District of Tennessee. In order to do that, we have to stop this madness. This is not a radical change to sugar reform. It is a modest proposal that allows the Secretary of Agriculture the discretion to help the American consumer against skyrocketing costs and potential skyrocketing costs in the price of sugar. Let's face it; sugar is a commodity, plain and simple. And if you use it and the price goes up, and if it is kept artificially high, it drives the price up and you become uncompetitive. I believe in the free market. I fervently argue for the free market, but the Pitts-Goodlatte amendment does a couple of things. It protects American consumers; it protects American jobs; and it is the right side of the argument for good, free-market Americans.

Mr. FLEISCHMANN

Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Mr. Speaker, as we debate SNAP reforms, I want to draw attention to a recent analysis which shows that thousands of families avoid the need for public assistance because of private disability insurance benefits. Most of those covered by private disability insurance receive it from their employer. For a low premium, roughly $25 per month, workers receive 60 percent of their salary should they become disabled. With this benefit, the worker is able to provide for their families, pay bills, and buy food and medicines. Workers can then focus on recovery. A 2011 analysis by Charles River Associates highlights several things, like the fact that Americans underestimate the risk of becoming disabled. And few American households have the savings to withstand a loss of income. Because of the income offered by disability insurance, the study estimates nearly 575,000 families avoid both poverty and public assistance each year. This translates into an annual $4.5 billion savings. If we could cover more workers, we could save tax dollars. Unfortunately, only about one-third of workers have access to employer-sponsored disability insurance. We must raise awareness about both the risk of disability and the affordability of insurance. SNAP helps the needy, but a backup plan through insurers can provide generous assistance to the disabled and save taxpayer money.

Mr. FLEISCHMANN

Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the heroic efforts of Signal Mountain, Tennessee, resident Technical Sergeant Charles Henry Coolidge of the United States Army. Technical Sergeant Coolidge was with the 36th Infantry Division and was awarded the Medal of Honor for conspicuous gallantry in action on October 24, 1944, near Belmont-sur-Buttant, France. As Technical Sergeant Coolidge led a platoon to cover part of the 3rd Battalion, they ran into an enemy force and engaged in a fierce firefight. With no officer present, Technical Sergeant Coolidge assumed command of the new replacements and led his men through 3 days of hard fighting. Armed with a bazooka, he advanced within 25 yards of the tanks before it failed to function. Then, gathering as many hand grenades as he could, he inflicted heavy casualties upon the enemy. It is for his superior leadership and bravery that I am proud to honor and remember the actions of Technical Sergeant Charles Henry Coolidge.