Christopher Gibson

Mr. GIBSON

Mr. GIBSON. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this conference report. I thank the chairman and the ranking member for their leadership. This may very well be the most significant piece of legislation to come out of the House Armed Services Committee since Goldwater-Nichols. I say that for five reasons: One, it reforms the strategic planning process, reclaiming Article 1, section 8 responsibility for the Congress with regard to providing strategic guidance. Two, it empowers the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. I think this is really important for unity of effort, efficient use of resources, and, quite frankly, also for civil military relations. Three, bold acquisition reforms; it has been mentioned in terms of agility, transparency, and accountability. We bring forward major reforms here, and, quite frankly, we are empowering the services. This is some of the testimony we received, and, in the process, we have provided incentives and also consequences for noncompliance. I think this is all going to be good news for the taxpayers who are counting on us to get this right. Four, decisive steps to improve readiness. We are entering a new era, Mr. Speaker. The drawdown is over; in fact, we are increasing end strength. I think this is really important. On a congressional delegation trip I led this summer listening to the commanders in the European Command, including the Supreme Allied Commander of Europe, this bill and all the resources that come with it are going to help strengthen deterrence. This is also a good bill for NATO. I mentioned resources. This was so important to the Joint Chiefs and to their senior enlisted advisers. They said they welcomed the end strength, but it had to come with the resources. They did not want to hollow out the force. We have listened and we have done this. Money for training; it is a very dangerous business, and it is important the training be realistic. We have reinforced the account for the CTCs, flying hours, and the spare parts to come with it. Five, Mr. Speaker, the pay raise, which is so justifiably earned. I am proud of this bill. I want to thank the staff. The staff on both sides of the aisle are second to none, and it has been a great privilege to serve on this committee. God bless this Nation.

Mr. GIBSON

Mr. GIBSON. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of 21st Century Cures. I want to thank the chairman, and I want to thank Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy and my colleague Chris Smith for insisting that we restore original language that deals with chronic Lyme and tickborne diseases. This was critically important to my district and to the Nation. I have so many friends and neighbors who are sick, chronically sick, and they are desperate for cures and solutions. Thanks to this bill, they now have a voice and a fighting chance. I am deeply grateful.

Mr. GIBSON

Mr. GIBSON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to thank Rabbi Shea Hecht for his opening prayer. Rabbi Hecht, a Chabad Rabbi, is the chairman of the board of the National Committee for the Furtherance of Jewish Education. Rabbi Hecht has brought together people of different faiths, races, and backgrounds in New York to promote peace through understanding. These principles hold true in New York, as they do throughout the country and right here in this body. One thing that my time in Congress has reinforced in me is that prayer matters. The daily opening prayers here in the Chamber set the tone for my day and often help me reflect on how to be a better husband, father, and Congressman. I join Rabbi Hecht in his pursuit for peace at home and abroad and thank him for his meaningful prayer. I certainly thank his family as well, including Rabbis Hanoch and Yitzchok, rabbis in the Hudson Valley. Mr. Speaker, I am very grateful.

Mr. GIBSON

Mr. GIBSON. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the service of Major Matt Schardt of the United States Army for his extraordinary dedication to duty and service to our Nation. Major Schardt distinguished himself through exceptionally meritorious service from May 5th, 2013 to January 3rd, 2017, while serving as an Army Congressional Fellow and Legislative Liaison in the Army House Liaison Division. From May 5th, 2013 through January 5th, 2015 Major Schardt served as an Army Congressional Fellow. During this time Matt graduated from The George Washington University with a Master's Degree in legislative politics and served as my military legislative assistant (MLA). As my MLA, Matt served as the national security, foreign affairs, homeland security, intelligence, and veteran's affairs policy advisor for my office. Matt developed, drafted, and managed my legislative initiatives, provided vote recommendations, prepared me for Congressional hearings, and met with senior government officials and constituents. In all of his actions, Matt demonstrated the professionalism Members of Congress and the American public expect of its military officers. In January, 2015 Major Schardt transitioned from my office to the Army House Liaison Office to serve as an Army legislative liaison. In his role as a legislative liaison in the Army's House Liaison Office, Major Schardt served as the primary liaison between Members of the 114th Congress, their Staffs, Legislative Committees, and the U.S. Army. In this role, Major Schardt planned, coordinated, and accompanied Congressional and Staff Delegations on numerous worldwide fact-finding and investigative missions and worked to increase the trust the U.S. Congress has in the U.S. Army. Major Schardt is a native of Littleton, Colorado who has served in combat units across the U.S. Army including the 25th Infantry Division and the 4th Infantry Division. A veteran of the conflicts in both Iraq and Afghanistan, Major Schardt is married to the former Amy Meersman of Littleton, Colorado and the proud father of two children--Kyle and Cora. This spring, Major Schardt and his family depart for their next assignment with the 1st Infantry Division at Fort Riley, Kansas. Mr. Speaker, it is my honor to recognize the selfless service of Major Matt Schardt as he and his family proceed to the next chapter in his remarkable career and continue to serve our great Nation.

Mr. GIBSON

Mr. GIBSON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the Lao Heritage Flag as the Official Symbol of the Lao-American Community of New York and Wat Lao Samakhitham. The members of the Lao-American Community in New York are true patriots in every sense of the word. Before arriving in America, many Lao-Americans courageously fought and shed blood in their struggle for freedom during the Southeast Asian conflict in the 1960's and 1970's. As American citizens, they continue to embody an unwavering love of liberty and a desire to serve. There are a significant number of Lao- Americans in New York, and they make great contributions to their local communities. Lao-American citizens are proud to fly the Lao Heritage Flag alongside the flag of the United States of America. This flag is characterized by the three-headed white elephant, and it is significant to Lao-Americans as a symbol of resilience, freedom, and democracy in Laos, as well as the United States of America. Under this flag, the Lao-American community of New York maintains their Lao cultural heritage while simultaneously celebrating American heritage and customs. Finally, Mr. Speaker, I would like to acknowledge each member of the vibrant Lao-American community in New York and thank them for their valuable contribution to our State. As a former service member, I believe strongly in the great symbolism of a flag and the pride that accompanies its display. It is my hope that the Lao-American community will always look to the Lao Heritage Flag and be reminded of the prosperity and freedom for Lao-American citizens across the United States.

Mr. GIBSON

Mr. GIBSON. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for pulling this Special Order together to give tribute and to really reflect on the remarkable life of Steve LaTourette. For me, Steve was a role model. He was a teacher. He taught me so much about this institution, and he was a great friend. He was somebody who was fun to be around. So many things that I could address but, in the interest of time, I will make two points. The first is that Steve and I shared a passion for seeing this body lead and to get our country back to a balanced budget, believing that this is not only an economic imperative, it is a moral imperative. We have today Steve's family who are with us. He felt so deeply about his family. He loved Cleveland and his entire district, and he knew that this was an issue that we had to go all in to make happen. That was certainly one of the main motivations why I retired from the Army after 29 years total, including 24 years in the regular Army, is to help move us back to a balanced budget. And working together over the past 6 years, inspired by Steve and others' work, we have closed the deficit by almost 70 percent, but we are not there. We are not back to a balanced budget, and we need to get back to a balanced budget. Steve helped lead the way. Our first work together was actually a substitute amendment in 2011 brought to the floor here in the early morning hours in March of 2011, and I still remember watching Steve; didn't know him real well at the time but liked everything I saw. And I remember the debate, as it was moving from about 2:30 to 3 a.m., and the speaker right before Steve was, quite frankly, criticizing this substitute amendment that Steve and I had authored before the House and said: Well, we really don't have time to debate Mr. LaTourette's amendment, given this hour. So when Mr. LaTourette--when Steve got to the floor and he was recognized, he said: Excuse me? We don't have time? Moments ago, we debated cutting off the plumbing to the White House. I think we have got plenty of time to talk about issues that are very important to my constituents in Cleveland. He gave an impassioned set of remarks that I think was very thoughtfully constructed about how we could guide ourselves back to a balanced budget, but do it in a way that also brings people together, that can do it in a way that we can gain bipartisan support for that. He stood up for things that were very important for people in Cleveland like the arts, like NPR, and education. And I thought he gave a very summoning set of remarks, and I was proud to be associated with that. Then a year later, as Mr. Cooper mentioned, I was one of those who joined Mr. LaTourette. We thought our numbers were more formidable, but we brought forward this bipartisan budget that, as Mr. Cooper pointed out, was a missed opportunity because, had we actually adopted that pro-growth, we were closing loopholes and lowering rates for Americans. And also fiscally conservative, we had smart, spending limits on the Federal departments, it was not sequestered. These were livable, sustainable levels that would ultimately get our discretionary spending under control, and it made a commitment to addressing the mandatory spending programs as well. Had we actually enacted that budget, that Cooper-LaTourette budget today, we would be back at a balanced budget. Given the fact that we did overperform, we saw some Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac money come in, and we came in lower than we thought in terms of deficits. In fact, at one point here we got the deficit down to 352 B, which is still too high, but represented a 70 percent reduction from the nearly $1.5 trillion that we were at in 2010. That budget, I believe, ultimately, we are going to end up having to do that at some point anyway because staring at close to $20 trillion of debt, we can no longer sit and wait on a Napoleonic-style battle that is going to ultimately clear the field and allow for one party to implement everything that they want on the budget. We now are going to have unified government, and I am looking forward and excited about those prospects. But we still have issues where we need to get support. There are votes that are needed in the Senate, thresholds that have to be met. So, ultimately, I think that that Cooper-LaTourette budget will come back, and I hope that we can get this done for our Nation. I want to thank Steve for his leadership for that. The second point was actually an interesting one, a little bit tough to go through, but I am better for it. This was also in 2011. I saw Steve, and everybody knows the incredible sense of humor, the dry, rapier-like wit that Steve can have. I saw Steve one day, around noon or so, and he said: Gibson, yesterday. Yeah, Steve. He goes: You were in the chair. You were acting Speaker. Yeah, yeah, I was. He goes: That jacket, don't ever wear that jacket again. And I am thinking, okay, I was an Army guy, you know. For the time I was on Active Duty, okay, true, we would get up in the morning and say: I think I will wear something green today, you know. And that did make life easier. But I thought, you know, I have got pretty good taste in clothing. So I went back to my staff, and I said: Steve LaTourette seemed pretty serious. He said, ``Don't ever wear that jacket again.'' They said: Well, why don't you do this? How do you feel about it? I said that I kind of like it. They said: Why don't you watch it? Why don't we bring it up? So here is my staff all standing around the computer. We bring it up, and all of a sudden I said: Oh, man, what was I thinking? I never wore that jacket again, Steve. I want you to know that. I am going to be donating this jacket to the Library of Congress in honor of Steve LaTourette's incredible taste and my lack thereof. I do want to show it, though, one final time for the Record. Somehow, I think it just looks worse on TV than it does when I actually look at it. Steve, thank you. God bless you. You were an incredible role model for me, a great friend, an amazing husband and father, and you are missed every day in these Halls. God bless you.

Mr. GIBSON

Mr. GIBSON. Madam Speaker, I want to thank my colleagues, and I really want to express what a privilege it is to serve in this House. I believe in this country and this exceptional way of life. Not that we don't have warts and challenges--we certainly have those--but there is nothing that we can't solve together. We also need to recognize that what we did in the 18th century that allowed for the most freedom and the opportunity in the history of mankind is not a birth right. It is not a foregone conclusion. Every generation has to defend it. They have to defend it from threats from abroad and also be vigilant for unintentional or perhaps intentional encroachment here at home. Our colleagues here believe deeply in protecting this exceptional way of life. As I stated earlier, we love our family, we love our friends, we love our communities. We want to ensure that they are safe. We are ready to work with our colleagues on that. As we do, we need to keep forefront this exceptional way of life which the first generation of Americans fought to provide for us and that every successive generation has fought to preserve and that we also take commonsense approaches that are based on data and that are focused on actually solving the problem. We identified some of those problems tonight and areas where we think we can find some common ground. I mentioned one of them we already have in terms of the law enforcement and cracking down on the narcotraffickers. Madam Speaker, we are here tonight because we also wanted to make it very clear that--while there are passions and emotions in every direction, we wanted to make it very clear that what we hold so dear, this exceptional way of life, the liberties, the Bill of Rights, the Constitution, this is something we will defend. We have defended it and we continue to defend it. May God bless this country. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. GIBSON. I want to thank the gentleman. I want to thank him for really putting in focus the fact that these natural rights--life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness--these natural rights come from God, and that governments are instituted among men and women to secure those rights, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. As I mentioned earlier, what really made us different from the rest of the world, this exceptional Nation which many people thought would never work out, I want to thank the gentleman for putting that in focus. I thank him for his service to our Nation, thank him for his leadership. We are now going to hear from one of our newest Members here in the House, Warren Davidson, who represents the Eighth District in Ohio. He is no stranger to service. He is certainly no stranger to hard work. He graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1995, and he spent 11 years in the United States Army. He served in some of our most elite units. He served in the 75th Ranger Regiment, the 101th Airborne Division, and right here in Washington, D.C. with the Old Guard. After 11 years having defended these freedoms, he went back home, and he began to work in his family business. Then later, he branched out on his own and started his own small business in manufacturing, something very important to an independent nation. We are very proud of his service. We are glad he is here with us now, and we know we see great things in his future. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Davidson).

Mr. GIBSON. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Oklahoma. I want to thank him for providing real illumination on important data and also on law. I think too often we can move off quickly without having a firm understanding of what the current law is, and so we really appreciate him bringing clarity to that subject. And also inherent in the gentleman's talk, this idea, this Bill of Rights, is formed with the basis of a citizen that has rights and responsibilities. We know as citizens that we have a responsibility to follow the law. And if we don't follow the law, we are fully held to account for that. That is another piece I think that is occasionally missing from all this. And certainly what is missing, I believe, is the fact that all of us here tonight and, indeed, Madam Speaker, all of us acknowledge your very distinguished career in the United States military and, in so many ways, how you were a trailblazer and how you really are a role model for everyone. We are so honored to serve with you. We recognize the fact that for all of us, we believe with every fiber in our body that we are going to stand for these rights, that the policy that we bring forward is going to be based on those rights, and also looking to solve the problem which, as I pointed out, when you actually look at the facts and you listen to the data, you know that where the problems are are these narcotraffickers. You know, we have issues with that, and we need to take action with that. So when we focus our policies in the area that is causing the problem, we will actually begin to see an even more safe and secure environment. By the way, also the deterrence, along with addressing the issue with narcotraffickers and gangs, is the deterrent value itself of the Second Amendment. So I want to thank Mr. Russell. At this point, I want to bring up another great American, Ryan Zinke. He is the at-large representative from Montana. Congressman Zinke spent 23 years in the United States military. He was a United States Navy SEAL. In fact, he commanded SEAL Team Six. He was the commander of Joint Special Operations Task Force in the Arabian Peninsula, leading over 3,500 special operators in Iraq. He also established the Navy Special Warfare Advanced Training Command and served as the first dean of the Naval Special Warfare graduate school. He earned two Bronze Stars during his service, and his service continues now. His daughter was a former U.S. Navy diver, and she is married to a Navy SEAL. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Montana (Mr. Zinke), my good friend.

Mr. GIBSON. Madam Speaker, this evening I will be joined with three other veterans, and among the four of us are three airborne Ranger- qualified veterans and one Navy SEAL. We will be talking about our freedoms and this exceptional way of life. Madam Speaker, earlier this year, on the Fourth of July, we celebrated 240 years of our independence, celebrating our freedoms. Earlier this week in a series of somber memorials, I was in some of my towns across the 11 counties of the 19th Congressional District of New York, and we marked the 15th year since the 11th of September of 2001. Madam Speaker, it has often been the case in the human experience that in adversity, character is revealed. I would submit that the character of the American soul was revealed on that day. Courage in the face of danger. At the World Trade Center, when so many Americans were working their way down the stairs, our first responders were on their way up to make sure that no one was left behind. Remarkable courage in the face of danger. And I think about what it must have been like on United Airlines Flight 93 when they had that revelation that the country was under attack and that their plane, which had been hijacked, was destined for some target, likely in the National Capital Region, and how they summoned up the courage to attack. Ordinary Americans doing extraordinary things. Courage in the face of danger. Part of the American soul, part of our character. Also, I would add, unity, unity of our country. Very often we celebrate the diversity in this country. And, in fact, we are very proud of the fact that we have freedom of thought, freedom of expression, and we celebrate that diversity. But, Madam Speaker, we also at the same time honor our unity, and that was clearly on display on the 11th of September and all the days after. Then, finally, what I would add is courage in the face of danger, unity, love, and support. I saw that firsthand again this week throughout my district at these memorials. It certainly was the case on the 11th of September. When you think about what it means to be an American and the freedoms that we hold dear, this is a way of life worth defending, and that is why I am excited to be with my colleagues here this evening to talk about that. Because oftentimes we don't think about this, it is no less true. What we did in the 18th century was truly radical. We changed the trajectory of history with our Revolution. Think about those summoning words in the Declaration of Independence: ``WE hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness--That to secure these Rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just Powers from the Consent of the Governed.'' We have a tendency to look back on that and say, Well, of course. That was utterly radical. The 18th century was the era of the divine right of kings and queens and aristocracies. The heads of state of Europe, they gave us no chance. They never thought this would work. They scoffed at us. They believed that, ultimately, chaos would unfold and that we would beg for the monarchy to come back. And, Madam Speaker, we showed the world a humble nation, mostly farmers at the time; and we showed the world that we could not only survive, that we could thrive and flourish and really go on to be, as many have said, the greatest hope for mankind. Madam Speaker, that is why we are here tonight. We all believe passionately in this. We took an oath that said we were ready to give our life for that, and we are still fighting for that now, as we serve in the United States Congress. And when we consider the kind of government that we brought forward, this was a government of the people, by the people, for the people, a self-governing people. Philosophers had written about it. We had some forms of that in republics over the centuries. But really what many had theorized, we were really the first to put in full practice. And here I am talking explicitly about an independent judiciary. Heretofore, they had been, you know, extensions of the crown, extensions of the executive branch. James Madison and many of the Founders came forward and they said-- and this is what was so revolutionary--we are going to put the individual at the center, the citizen at the center. Before that time, government really was the state, it was the king, it was the queen. And we said we are going to be self-governing. Madam Speaker, to do that, we brought forward a Constitution. And that was, again, what was really, I think, in the end, pivotal because we had a contemporary. Less than a decade later, France had a revolution, but, unfortunately, ultimately, they begged for the monarchy to come back. Their revolution did not succeed, but ours did. And it really was the genius design of the Constitution that diffused power, that celebrated liberty, and put the citizen at the center, the separation of powers, the checks and balances, the auxiliary checks that came with it. We are talking about Federalism. We chose the word ``state'' on purpose. We could have chose ``province.'' We could have chose any other word. We chose the word ``state'' because we believed in that cosovereignty. And, of course, undergirding all of that was the idea of an empowered citizen, as I mentioned. Some historians have said that when you look at all of this, when you look at Federalist Papers, when you look at the Constitution, when you look at the Bill of Rights, it has been argued that these are some of the most summoning words ever penned; and I agree with that. But, Madam Speaker, this was also very real. What our Founders instantiated in the Bill of Rights, everything they put there, had happened to us. I mean, King George had abused the colonists. He had abused us. And we said, No more. We said that we shall have liberty. So when you look at the First Amendment, for example, the king had denied us the ability of freedom of speech. He told us that we could not have freedom of religion. He superimposed his religious views on all of the colonists. He said that we couldn't meet in groups of more than three because he said we would be conspiring against him. It turns out he was actually right about that. Madam Speaker, he denied us the right to petition our government. We put together petitions. We sent it overseas to the king, anxiously waiting on a response. The king didn't even open them. He wouldn't open these petitions. He said they didn't have the standing, they don't have the right. Our Founders said that all of our citizens have the right to petition their government; they have the right to assemble; they have the right to freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of religion. We hold these dear, and we are very proud of this. The Second Amendment. Madam Speaker, we often learn that the Brits marched on our guns; and that, in part, is why the Second Amendment was put there. Well, let's remember this: sure, it was the Brits, but that doesn't even make the point. That was our government. The Brits at the time were essentially our national government, and they marched on our guns. The Founders said, No more. Free citizens who have rights and responsibilities have the right to keep and bear arms. The Third Amendment. Madam Speaker, the king had quartered troops in our homes. He did that without asking; didn't pay us any money. Our Founders said that is a violation; it is a violation of the citizen; and that the only time that a government can quarter troops in a home is if Congress declares that there is a state of war and if citizens are reimbursed for that. Madam Speaker, the Fourth Amendment. The king routinely sent his troops into our homes. He didn't need cause. They turned furniture upside down. They could look for anything. Our Founders said that would not happen again. They said that we have the right--as citizens, we have the right to be reasonably secure in ourselves, in our belongings, and that the only way the government could get access to that is if they followed a process, due process where they stood before a judge and they showed probable cause for action. Only then shall warrants be writ, and those warrants shall have specificity in person, place, and thing. Central to liberty. Madam Speaker, the Fifth through the Eighth Amendments have to do with the rights of the accused. We have the right to hear the charges against us. We have the right to not be locked up, indefinitely detained without charge. We have the right to counsel. We have the right to not be forced to testify against ourselves. We also won't have double jeopardy. If we are facing a capital crime, it shall first go to a grand jury. We have the right to speedy and public trials by jury, and we have the right to protection from unjust punishment. Madam Speaker, the Ninth and Tenth Amendments are an affirmation of limited government because the Founders said that anything that wasn't explicitly written in the document would be left for the States or the people. Madam Speaker, this changed the history of the world. This was an incredible moment when freedom was born. And every generation since, servicemen and -women have had to stand up to protect those freedoms because we believe in the idea of the citizen and we believe in the idea of liberty. Madam Speaker, I want to be clear. There has been a lot of discussion in this Chamber about the safety and security of our families and our communities. I want to state very clearly that all of us veterans here, we believe deeply in this. We love our families, we love our friends, we love our communities, and we want to assure their safety. That is partly what inspired us to go forward, to deploy, to fight our enemies: to ensure the protection of our loved ones. We don't believe that by targeting with law law-abiding citizens we are going to be safer. We believe in background checks. Of course, we do. We don't want terrorists to get guns. In fact, we endeavor to kill or capture terrorists. We believe this. We believe that any public policy that is enacted needs to actually solve the problem while at the same time protecting our liberties, assuring us of the freedoms that we fought for. As we look across, what is evident is that we have issues right now with gangs and narcotraffickers, and so we support action. In fact, we helped pass, in this Chamber, legislation that addressed that. When we addressed the opioid issue, we addressed education, which is so important to cutting down on opioid abuse. We addressed treatment. We also addressed enforcement. Federalism has many virtues, but it has some challenges, too. There are seams. There are seams that these narcotraffickers and gangs can exploit, and we helped address that. Madam Speaker, these are constructive actions that can help make us safer. We fought to defend these freedoms. We are still fighting to defend these freedoms. Madam Speaker, we are now going to hear from a series of speakers. I want to first bring up my friend from Oklahoma, Steve Russell. He represents the Fifth District in Oklahoma. He served in the United States Army for 21 years. He commanded a battalion. His battalion was actually the main effort that captured Saddam Hussein back in December of 2003 in Iraq. This is an incredible person. He is a warrior. He is scholar. He is a statesman. He was decorated with the Combat Infantryman Badge. His servicemen and -women were awarded the Valorous Unit Award, and he personally was decorated for valor. He is also a small-business owner, rifle manufacturing business. He was a representative in Oklahoma before he came here. I am very honored to serve with him. I yield to the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Russell).

Mr. GIBSON

Mr. GIBSON. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend and colleague, Representative Sinema. I thank her for her passion for the issue, for her leadership which she brings here tonight and on all days on this very important issue for veterans. Mr. Speaker, this is a very personal issue for me. After 29 years in the United States Army, initially starting as a 17-year-old private in the New York Army National Guard and, after 5 years, making the transition to the regular Army as a Commissioned Officer and serving 24 additional years, including 4 combat tours in Iraq, time in the Balkans, also in Haiti, over that time, I have seen the human condition under very severe and acute stress, and have seen humans at their best and humans at their worst. Now, in this role in Congress, I think it is critically important that we come together and provide all the support that we can for our servicemen and -women, for our veterans, and for their families. Mr. Speaker, my wife is also involved in helping on this score, as she is a licensed clinical social worker, and she commits herself to helping. She is involved in therapy for our veterans. And for both of us, we have seen this from the vantage point of being on Active Duty, and then retiring from the United States military and being a civilian, in a community, and now serving in Congress. It is clear that, as far as the status of our veterans--well, I guess, perhaps not surprisingly a lot like the rest of America--it is variegated. Some veterans are doing really well; got home, integrated, and really excelling in every capacity in life. Yet, Mr. Speaker, there are some that are really struggling. They are struggling to find their footing, to reintegrate into society. They may be struggling financially. Others have grievous wounds that they incurred in this war, and others who still were not physically wounded are carrying emotional scars. So really, that is, I think, the calling here tonight. Congresswoman Sinema has pulled together this Special Order for us to put a focus on that, and I deeply appreciate that because the American people need to know: Is their government listening? Do we hear the calls from our veterans, their families, and from their loved ones, from their friends, and from all Americans who are concerned about the status of our veterans? Mr. Speaker, our government is listening. We have taken action. There is much more to be done, but I think it is important to also give an accounting. A transparent, accountable government must provide report on what has been done. Mr. Speaker, I was at the White House when we did the bill signing, when President Obama signed into law the Clay Hunt suicide awareness and prevention bill. Clay Hunt, a great American hero, a Marine who fought bravely for our country in both Iraq and Afghanistan, who came back and who candidly knew that he was having some mental health challenges; and the way he dealt with that was to commit himself to helping others. And he did make a difference, again. Unfortunately, he ultimately lost his battle with the mental health challenges that he had, and his family took up the cause in that immediate aftermath. It is through the inspiration of Clay Hunt, the way he lived his life, that we came together here in this House. And I thank Sergeant Major Walz, the highest ranking enlisted man to ever serve in these Chambers, for authoring the bill. I was proud to be a part of it. But this, we believe, will make a positive difference. It will not solve all, but it does audit our programs to take a look at what is doing well, and other programs that are still challenged, well- intentioned, but challenged; and it is going to provide a clearinghouse so that we can learn from these experiences. It also starts a pilot program that is going to pay for the education for Americans who want to volunteer to be part of this effort to help veterans, the Clay Hunt suicide awareness and prevention, now law. Likewise, the Female Veteran Suicide Prevention Act, we passed that in both Chambers, and the President of the United States signed that into law. We also enacted the Wounded Warriors Federal Leave Act, which I also think will make a positive difference for our veterans. And then, of course, about 18 months ago we enacted the VA's most sweeping reform of the VA, arguably, in our lifetime. Now, we are still in the throes of implementing that, so we haven't seen the full effect, but the intent of which is to address what Congresswoman Sinema was addressing moments ago, and that was the backlogs at the VA. We have enacted legislation that I believe will ultimately, when it is fully implemented, over time, help reduce those backlogs, bring better quality care and more accountability to our VA. I want to also mention that, while these aforementioned bills are now law, we passed on this floor a bill a couple of months ago that I think will also make a significant difference and it will help the mental health of all Americans: Tim Murphy's bill on mental health that is now over in the Senate. And I think that will have a contributing effect to our veterans. So while there is an accounting of the actions we have taken to date, there is still much more to be done. And let me begin by saying that, after all these efforts, only a third of the veterans who are eligible to enroll in the VA are presently signed up. We have to do better than that. I think we need public service, we need leadership by example, and we need a whole series of efforts to reach out to our veterans to get them into this community of care. In part, some of it is going to have to come from confidence in the VA, which we need to improve. So we recognize that while we have the Veterans Administration and we are trying to improve it, we are working hard on that, we also need to try to inspire to get more vets to use it. I will also say that my assessment is, as I mentioned, having served on Active Duty and now on this side on retirement, I think the peer-to- peer programs are critically important because we have a number of programs to help. As I mentioned, my wife is participating in one of them with the therapy helping. The fact of the matter is that if a veteran is in crisis in the dark of the night, and we have no way of reaching out to him, we could lose him, regardless of what programs we have. So these peer-to-peer efforts, which there are some now, some pilot programs and some important ones that are going on--we have one in New York State. I heard Congresswoman Sinema talking about a program they have in Arizona. In New York State, we have a peer-to-peer program actually started by one of our colleagues here now, Lee Zeldin from Long Island. When he was serving in the State Senate, he coauthored a bill that became law in our State that has been helping with peer to peer. I think this is critically important that we have this camaraderie and that we have this capacity that reaches out so that veterans know they are never alone. In the Army, we had a program that we called the Ranger Buddy program, or it is sometimes called the Airborne Buddy, or sometimes just the plain Soldier Buddy. But the point is that for moments of ideations, the darkest of ideations, we need to have that support that will then lend itself to a transition to the other programs we have at the VA and other places in the light of day. I am going to close with this: while we need to do more to help with the physical condition for our veterans, to help them heal, and to also work their mental health, to support that and improve that. I firmly this: One of the things that rallies all servicemembers is a real sense of mission, the notion that what they are doing is certainly greater than themselves. They are helping to protect an exceptional way of life, and that is such a source of pride for our servicemen and -women. When they make the transition, sometimes that is not even fully cognizant for our servicemen and -women. They have appreciation for it, but sometimes it really takes the separation of years to recognize how significant that moment in their life was, that period of time in their life. So for some veterans, when they get home, they miss this, that sense of camaraderie, that sense of cohesion, and that sense of purpose that goes with dedicating a life to a cause. So as we work on improving the physical health and the mental health of our veterans, I would also say that it is important that we help veterans find that cause in their civilian life in any capacity, whether it is helping out with other wounded veterans, helping in schools, helping senior citizens, or helping the Scouts. In any capacity, it is getting that sense of mission back again. I think that has got to be key to all these programs. I want to close by just thanking, again, Congresswoman Sinema. I thank the gentlewoman for her great leadership on this. Let us all go forward dedicated to continuing to work on this issue and find ways where we can come together to make a difference.

Mr. GIBSON

Mr. GIBSON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to my hardworking staff. Over the past 6 years, I have had the honor and privilege to serve in this House of Representatives. At the end of this term, my time of service as a Member in this body will come to a close, as I honor my self-imposed term-limit pledge. As I reflect on my congressional service, there has been a constant throughout this time. The first is my wonderful family. And the second is my incredible, selfless staff who have worked with me to serve the good people of our district. We have a saying in our office, that we only hire people who love people. This may sound simple, but it is amazing, the difference it can make when you have a team of people dedicated to helping others. Every day, they exhibit compassion, kindness, patience, and really take the time to listen to our constituents. For some of my staff, that was their first job out of college. More than a few started as an intern with us. For others, this job was a return from retirement, yet another chapter in a lifetime of service to this great Nation. So many of our staff have stayed the entire 6 years, a loyalty for which I am deeply grateful. And those who have moved on have continued to excel, with achievements of which I am very proud. A couple are now on their well-deserved retirement. When we close out our term, my team will have left a legacy of real, meaningful service to the people of New York and to this Nation. Their accomplishments are far too numerous to name, but I just want to highlight a very small sampling of the work they have accomplished. Here in the House, we have been part of the effort to ensure our Armed Forces, our servicemen and -women, have the resources and support they need for the missions we ask of them. We have fought tireless battles to help all of our veterans, including our Blue Water Navy veterans who have been left out of Agent Orange coverage. We have helped improve mental health care and made significant progress combating the scourge of opiate addiction that is devastating our communities. We have helped both our family farms and our small businesses and improved health care for seniors. We passed the first bill that addresses Lyme disease and other tickborne illnesses. And we fought to empower students and teachers and to ensure our students weren't burdened with onerous, high-stakes testing in our schools. Mr. Speaker, in our district, when we were hit with the devastating storms--Hurricanes Irene, Lee, and Sandy--my staff joined me on the front lines, from helping residents in the immediate aftermath of the storms to ensuring they received the assistance they needed to recover over the following years. We were committed to ensuring every community came back stronger than they were the day before the storm. And we have continued other efforts. We have helped expand broadband access, and we have helped with conservation efforts. We have helped fix our roads and bridges and advocated for a countless number of grants to be awarded to our local businesses, nonprofits, fire departments, and the like. My staff has also completed over 7,000 cases for my constituents. Mr. Speaker, I can tell you we have had so many constituents come up to my wife, Mary Jo, and I and tell us about the work that our staff has done that, in many cases, helped change their lives. They are exceptional people, one and all. They are model public servants. I want to close with reading their names into our Congressional Record for this day so that they get a small piece of the recognition they so richly deserve. Before I do, Mr. Speaker, I also want to say thank you to each and every one of them and their families. Our communities are strong and our Nation is better because of their service. Mr. Speaker, the members of Team Gibson, in alphabetical order: Robert Allard; Allison Argust; Sergeant First Class Dennis Bartow, U.S. Army National Guard; Katherine Better; Jeffrey Bishop; Steven Bulger, my district director; Paula Brown; Sergeant First Class (Retired) George Christian, U.S. Army National Guard; Nicholas Czajka; Sergeant First Class (Retired) Kathy Fallon, U.S. Army National Guard; Todd Felter; Remy Fortin; Brad Gentile; Nathan Gil; William Gonzales, New York State Trooper, retired; James Haggerty, United States Marine Corps, Korean war; Ridge Harris; Patricia Hohmann; Colonel Stephen Ledbetter, U.S. Army; Joseph Levi, a wounded Army combat veteran; Shay Mason; Major Patrick McGuigan, U.S. Army; Ann Mueller; Padraic O'Brien, now a New York State Trooper; Lieutenant Colonel Curt Owens, United States Army Reserves; Barbara Palmer; Megan Paulsen; Corinne Boughton Penston; Duane Postupak; Patricia Raucci; Peter Ryan; Brian Scarlett; Major Matthew Schardt, U.S. Army; Christine Schiff; Rebecca Shaw; Matthew Sheehey; Steven Stallmer; Theodore Stephan; Major Ricardo Turner, U.S. Army; Stephanie Valle, my chief of staff; Carol Waller; Mark Westcott; Anthony Zampelli; and Patrick Ziegler. May God bless them all. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. GIBSON

Mr. GIBSON. Mr. Speaker, I want to congratulate Dr. Murphy and Ms. Johnson for this landmark mental health legislation. I believe it builds on earlier legislation we enacted in this Congress, like the Clay Hunt suicide awareness and prevention bill, improving the mental health for our veterans. And it fills a void that has existed for decades now since we de-institutionalized in the 1970s, a decision I support, but we never put Federal policy in behind it until today, Mr. Speaker, resources for the local level for inpatient care for Americans and families in mental health crisis. It improves coordination across the agencies to deliver better suicide awareness and prevention in mental health. I want to thank my wife, Mary Jo, a licensed clinical social worker, for her advice and inspiration. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.

Mr. GIBSON

Mr. GIBSON. I thank the gentleman. Mr. Chair, I rise in opposition to the amendment. I say that with very strong respect for the gentleman who offered it. I think his heart is in the right place. He wants to see that we spend in a very disciplined manner. Yet, in the way that the amendment is currently crafted, we are going to see a significant downsize to our readiness. As the chairman mentioned, we are on a path to having the smallest military since 1939. We just have a point of disagreement with the administration about that. We are trying to stop, roughly, 70,000 troops from getting pink slips between now and 2018, and we are doing that in a manner that ensures they have the kit--all the modernization, the operations, and maintenance--that goes with it. I would suggest to the gentleman, if he withdrew his amendment and if he worked with us, that on my committee--the Armed Services Committee and the Appropriations Committee--there is a sentiment to begin to move and get it back. In fact, we even use language that it is designated for base requirements. To the gentleman's point, I would agree, but I would also say that, in the way the amendment is currently crafted, we will end up with the smallest military since 1939, and in this world, as described by the chairman, we cannot afford to do that. I have one last thing, Mr. Chair. This whole House is united in its support for veterans. Veterans have had to continually go overseas and come back at a rapid pace because of its being a small force, so one way of looking after our servicemen and -women and our veterans is to make sure that we have the right-sized force. That is why we must reject this amendment.

Mr. GIBSON

Mr. GIBSON. Mr. Chair, I appreciate the gentleman's comments, and I appreciate the support. I just want to express my gratitude to both the chairman, the ranking member, and the committee staff. I know that this bill takes a lot of work, and I deeply appreciate all of those who are involved. I thank my friend and colleague, Paul Tonko, for his great support and great work on this issue. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. GIBSON. Mr. Chair, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Frelinghuysen), the esteemed chairman of the Defense Subcommittee.

Mr. GIBSON. Mr. Chair, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the gentleman from New York.

Mr. GIBSON. Mr. Chairman, this amendment pluses up the account for extended-range cannon artillery, and it is paid for. I want to begin by thanking the leadership of this esteemed committee, both the chairman and the ranking member, for their teamwork and also for their great work. I have been here 6 years, and I think this is the strongest bill that I have seen with regard to Defense Appropriations. I am deeply grateful. Let me say that a principle for our country dating back to the founding is one of peace through strength, which relies on this concept of deterrence. It certainly brings forward a strong military with the intent that we would deter potential adversaries so, indeed, that we can empower our diplomats. On our best day, other countries want to be like us, and this bill here is critically important toward that end. Look, after this past weekend, as we continue to mourn for those killed in the terrorist attack in Florida, I think it is on everyone's mind how important it is that we get this bill passed. With regard to peace through strength and deterrence, I do have some concerns. Inasmuch as I am a very strong advocate of this bill, I am concerned about where we are today with regard to our indirect fires capability. In some regard, it is understandable that we are beginning to fall behind some of our potential adversaries, certainly our competitors. We have spent the last 15 years consumed in efforts to protect our people, protect our homeland, existential threats from terrorists, and that has led to largely counterinsurgency operations. And that has been somewhat at the detriment to our full spectrum capability, including indirect fires. Part of our concept is we do rely heavily on close air support as part of this, understanding that, but saying that there is some risk to that. And I do appreciate the fact that the committee has actually taken note of this. There is a plus-up in this bill, and I want to commend both the chairman and ranking member for doing that. I think that we need more. I would encourage my colleagues, if they haven't already, to take a look at the writings of Lieutenant General H.R. McMaster. I think he is a visionary. He is a great battlefield commander. I served under his command in Iraq in 2005, and he continues to do great work for this Nation. He has written about Russian activities, for example, in Ukraine and Syria. And it is clear that Russia and China are continuing to march forward with their capabilities, including in Ukraine, where Russia has shown a very extensive capability to mass fires. Candidly, they outrange our artillery, and I think this is something we need to address. So I brought forward this amendment. It does plus-up this account by a million dollars. I mean, candidly, we could do more. But I do want to commend the committee for what they have done so far, and I think our amendment would help reinforce that. I want to also say, as proud as I am of all of this work, I want to say, too, that I am very proud of the work of those men and women who serve us in the industrial base. The work that is done on cannons is done in Watervliet, New York, at the Watervliet Arsenal. I am very proud of their work, but no one is more proud than their own Representative. Their own Representative is here with us today. He sponsors this bill. He is a Democrat from New York, and his name is Paul Tonko. I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Tonko).

Mr. GIBSON. Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. GIBSON

Mr. GIBSON. Mr. Speaker, I want to say how important it is that we bring forward all these initiatives: preserving our end strength, reassuring our allies, and ensuring that the Global Response Force has proper funding. All of these, Mr. Speaker, are going to help strengthen the hand of diplomats. When you look at our strengths, they are instantiated in our founding documents. On our best day, other countries want to be like us. It is the freedom and it is the prosperity that comes from arraying power the way that we do. Of course, all of this is relying on the principle of deterrence. This bill is very important toward that end. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate my colleague and friend, Mr. Stivers, yielding time. I urge my colleagues to support the House Defense Appropriations bill.

Mr. GIBSON. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my friend and colleague, Mr. Stivers, for yielding time. I also greatly appreciate his work on the committee and his service to our Nation. We appreciate the sacrifices that he has rendered on our behalf and also from his family. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the House Defense Appropriations bill, a very important piece of legislation that provides the resources for our servicemen and -women to defend this cherished way of life and to protect our people. We are reminded of that after this devastating terrorist attack this past weekend. Mr. Speaker, dating back to the founding, we had a principle by which we rally our national security, and that is peace through strength; that is, we look to deter potential adversaries, always prepared, in the event that deterrence fails, to fight and prevail to win and to protect our people. As part of this concept of deterrence, it is critically important at this juncture, in my view, that we provide the resources necessary to revitalize our Armed Forces. We are coming through a very long period of focus on counterinsurgency operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. Much needs to be done. I think this bill does quite a bit on that score. I want to thank the chairman and the ranking member for their work on it. I also want to express my gratitude for them to include the bill that I authored that deals with end strength of our Armed Forces. This is the POSTURE Act. It is supported by 52 of my colleagues. It is a bipartisan piece of legislation. In fact, I authored it with Chairman Turner, Mike Turner from the House Armed Services Committee, and Representative Tim Walz, the highest ranking enlisted man to ever serve in this Chamber, a Democrat from Minnesota. This bill effectively stops the drawdown that is planned over the next 2 years. Right now we have end strength numbers that essentially match where we were on September 11, 2001. If the administration's plan is allowed to go into effect, we are looking at handing out approximately 70,000 pink slips between now and 2018, bringing down the size of our Armed Forces. Now is not the time to be doing that, as we deal with Russia, China, North Korea, Iran, and certainly the Islamic State. We have lots of challenges out there, and if we are going to reassert peace through strength, strengthening the hand of our diplomats, I think it is critically important that we don't continue on that drawdown of our land forces and of our forces in the Department of Defense. So I appreciate the leadership's including this bill that I have authored with my colleagues in the House Defense Appropriations bill. It was critical that it come with the resources, because you just can't increase end strength. It has to come with the money to do that. This committee did that, and I appreciate that. I also want to say there are important provisions in here to reassure our allies, the European Reassurance Initiative. It is funded here along with the Global Response Force, and a pay raise for our servicemen and -women. They richly deserve this.

Mr. GIBSON

Mr. GIBSON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor retired General Gordon Sullivan for his accomplishments in over 54 years of total service to the soldiers, veterans, family members, the civilians of the United States Army, and this great Nation. General Sullivan, raised in Quincy, Massachusetts, was commissioned a second lieutenant of armor in 1959. After a distinguished career spanning 36 years in uniform and serving in command level throughout the Army, his career culminated as the 32nd chief of staff of the United States Army. On the occasion of his retirement from the Army, former Senator Bob Dole spoke of General Sullivan's caring leadership, sage counsel, and commonsense approach as he navigated the Army through a challenging period of significant downsizing and restructuring. Senator Dole stated, ``Our Army will sorely miss General Sullivan, but it is stronger and better for his service. The legacy he leaves--a ready Army, a future force that will be unmatched, and the deep love and devotion of his soldiers--is fitting of this great man.'' After serving in uniform for almost four decades, General Sullivan continued to advocate on behalf of the Army as president of the Association of the United States Army for the past 18 years. His tireless efforts, ensuring our soldiers and their families had the best training and resources and that our veterans returning from combat received the best care, have been unmatched and are a true testament to this great man of character and conviction. Under General Sullivan's executive leadership, the Association of the United States Army broadly expanded support and outreach to the Army families, the Army National Guard and Army Reserve, and the Department of Army Civilians by the promotion, establishment, and support of countless programs and events at the national and local levels. Additionally, the Association of the United States Army generously contributed millions of dollars to veteran and soldier support programs, such as the Fisher House Foundation, the Center for the Intrepid, and the Army Emergency Relief. Mr. Speaker, I first met General Sullivan 18 years ago, which was the week he started as the president of AUSA, when I served as an escort officer for the Senior Conference at the United States Military Academy at West Point. I was serving on the faculty at that time. I was struck by General Sullivan's graciousness, his humility, and the way he lived his life by conviction and integrity. I remain a huge fan to this day. Mr. Speaker, I rise on behalf of a grateful Nation to thank General Gordon Sullivan and his family for their over five decades of service to our Army. His leadership has directly enhanced the readiness of the United States Army. I ask my colleagues to join me in saluting him and in wishing him well in his retirement.

Mr. GIBSON

Mr. GIBSON. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 269, I did events with Hoover National Security Affairs Fellows and with students at American University. I did my best to get back for all votes. Unfortunately I got caught in traffic and missed the first vote. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Mr. GIBSON

Mr. GIBSON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my support for the establishment of a ``National Cameroonian Heritage and Diaspora Month'' during the month of May to celebrate the great contributions of Americans of Cameroonian immigrant heritage in the United States, who have enriched the history of our Nation. Mr. Speaker, people of recent Cameroonian immigrant heritage and the greater Cameroonian diaspora are found in every State of the Union. Furthermore, the history of Americans of Cameroonian descent in the United States is inextricably tied to the story of the Nation. This past year, I have been proud to establish and co-chair the Congressional Cameroon Caucus, along with Congressman Andre Carson (D- IN), Congressman Steve Russell (R-OK) and Congressman Hank Johnson (D- GA). The Congressional Cameroon Caucus enjoys strong bi-partisan support, which includes Congresswoman Sheila Jackson-Lee (D-TX). The community of Americans of Cameroonian immigrant heritage in the United States poses an inherently diverse population comprised of distinct ethnicities, religions and more than 100 language dialects. Americans of Cameroonian immigrant heritage in the United States come from all regions in Cameroon and do not constitute a homogeneous group. They include people from different religious, linguistic, ethnic, racial, cultural, and social backgrounds. Cameroon is nicknamed `Africa in Miniature or Mini Africa' for its religious, linguistics, geographic and ethnic diversity. Mr. Speaker, the month of May has been celebrated by Cameroonians at home and abroad, since 1972, because `Cameroon National Day' is on May 20. Since independence in 1960, Cameroon has earned a reputation as a peaceful and welcoming nation, and as a linchpin of regional stability. Undoubtedly, Cameroon serves as an important economic, military, and cultural partner of the United States. Additionally, Americans of Cameroonian descents have traced their heritage via DNA to various kingdoms in Cameroon such as Bamileke, Hausa, Tikar, Baka. Individuals such as Secretary Condelezza Rice, Congresswoman Karen Bass, Congresswoman Kelly Robin; artists such as Quincy Jones, Blair Underwood, Venessa L. Williams, Sheryl Lee Ralph; and thousands of Americans of African-American, Afro-Latino America, Afro-European Americans and others, have traced their heritage to Cameroon. Recent Cameroonian immigrants have also made significant contributions to American culture, including in areas of American life such as the military, health care, arts, education, community service, and public policy. Raising awareness about Cameroonian immigrant heritage is crucial to effectively fighting disparities within the greater Black population in the American narrative and is essential to building a stronger America. Additionally, Americans of recent Cameroonian immigrant heritage have played an active role in the civil rights movement and other social and political movements in the United States such as Sylvie Qwasinwi Bello of the Cameroon American Council. Mr. Speaker, the people of Cameroon share the hopes and aspirations of the people of the United States for peace and prosperity throughout the world, but there remains much to be done to ensure that Americans of recent Cameroonian immigrant heritage and the greater Cameroonian diaspora have access to resources and a voice in the United States Government and continue to advance in the political, social, and economic landscape of the United States. Celebrating `National Cameroonian Heritage and Diaspora Month' in the month of May would provide the people of the United States with an opportunity to recognize the achievements, contributions, and history of and to appreciate the challenges faced by Americans of recent Cameroonian immigrant heritage. For that reason, Mr. Speaker, I believe that a ``National Cameroonian Heritage and Diaspora Month'' should be recognized in May to celebrate the significant contributions of Americans of recent Cameroonian Immigrant Heritage to the history of the United States.

Mr. GIBSON

Mr. GIBSON. Madam Chair, let me express my gratitude to the chairman and the ranking member. I am here today to support the bill and to really urge my colleagues to continue to work together so that we can make progress on clean and renewable energy and energy efficiencies. I offer three points as to why. First of all, it is important to us to be an independent nation. After four combat tours in Iraq, I am very eager to see us become energy independent, and certainly that requires an all-of-the-above energy strategy, including the renewable energy sources: solar power, wind, hydro, geothermal, biomass. All of these in upstate New York are making a significant advance, and I want to see us continue to facilitate this. We are a country that can do hard things. We have shown that time and again. We put a man on the Moon. We stood up to the Communist challenge. We did so in part because of research, development, and prototyping. The investments we made were so critical to that, and we not only won the cold war, but we also got the supercomputer, we got the Internet, and we ushered in the information age. I think if we make similar investments--and we will have an amendment here shortly on ARPA-E. I appreciate what the chairman has done to support the program. I think this is very important. It would also offer jobs in my district and all throughout New York. This has been helpful to jobs. Finally, the environment, how important it is. We want to be good stewards of our resources. To me, a conservative, you are certainly protecting all resources, including natural resources. To me, if conservation isn't conservative, well, then, words have no meaning at all. So renewable energy sources and also the criticality of energy efficiencies, a kilowatt-hour saved is a kilowatt-hour produced. I know we have made progress. I appreciate the work of the committee. I urge us to continue that and double our efforts going forward. Finally, I will say that I appreciate what Ms. Kuster mentioned just moments ago. This is a bill I look forward to working on with her. I think it is a step in the right direction. Thank you for your great work, Mr. Chairman.