Baron Hill

Mr. HILL

Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, it is my privilege to bring to the attention of the House my constituent, Miss Mallery Waters of Clarksville, Indiana. Mallery is the national winner of the 2002 Voice of Democracy high school essay contest sponsored by the Veterans of Foreign Wars, and recipient of the $1000 Department of Maine Scholarship to ``Remember the U.S.S. Maine'' Award. Mallery, who is a senior being homeschooled, is a past winner of numerous essay contests, as well as an accomplished artist and gardener. She is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. J. Scott Waters. Her winning essay, ``Reaching Out to America's Future,'' was sponsored by VFW Post 1832 and its Ladies Auxiliary in Jeffersonville, Indiana. It is my pleasure to include Mallery's essay in the Congressional Record. Reaching Out to America's Future (By Mallery Waters) Before the recent terrorist attacks, I had concluded that patriotism was on a sharp decline in America. People stayed home on Election Day, ignored the flag, and seemed to generally avoid politics. Now flags wave defiantly across the country as signboards declare, ``God Bless America.'' But I wonder if this newfound pride in country will continue when things begin to settle down. Only then will we learn whether or not this tragedy truly affected the hearts of the rising generation. For the participation of the citizens of the future--;the young adults, teens, and even unborn children-- ;in the affairs of this country will determine the future of America and the freedom it represents. I believe increasing interest in government and a sense of duty toward country are the foundations of our participation. When President John F. Kennedy said, ``Ask not what your country can do for you--;ask what you can do for your country,'' he demonstrated that patriotism is not an empty emotion. Instead, it is a call to action. This call to action compels young people to participate in our government as tomorrow's politicians, civil servants, and informed citizens. Are we prepared or even willing to properly fulfill these enormous responsibilities? Sometimes I think that America is following the road of the ancient republic of Rome. The republic rose to power and prosperity in part because of the diligence, hard work, and moral character of its people. But as the Roman citizens focused increasingly on luxury and their own happiness, the virtues that had made the republic strong rotted away. Eventually, they gave up much freedom for security under the Caesars. As one of America's young people, I believe that many of us care far more about happiness and prosperity than we do about our liberties and freedoms. Relationships, cars, and music are physical items. Since freedom is much more abstract, it often seems boring. We have never tasted a life without this freedom or the prosperity and representative government we take for granted. But teens' boring liberties actually allow us to enjoy the physical things we do value. Short of sending us overseas, one of the best ways to help teens appreciate being free to participate in government is to encourage interest in political affairs. Young people may be well-informed about the facts of government, but engaging experience in real-life politics is so much more important. Participating in student council and helping with a local political campaign are much more tangible than facts from a dull textbook. I think hands-on experience in mock-government organizations like Boys' and Girls` State is one of the most beneficial of these activities for teens. What if more than only a handful of a high school's students could have the opportunity to see first-hand how our government works? I think such a school-wide program would spark an interest in government and political matters in many. If tangible political learning does not encourage young people to participate in government, an overarching patriotism and sense of duty instilled by family must. Keeping informed will not always be interesting, but we must recognize it as our responsibility. Families have always taken the lead in instilling such values in young Americans, and they must continue to do so today. Parents should pass on the heritage of traditional Biblical values and the sense of responsibility to God and fellow man. They must show us how to think for ourselves and formulate our own opinions. They must teach us to be diligent and informed voters who vote not for the political party but for the best candidate. Their lives must attest to the importance of staying informed in political matters and speaking out against issues they consider harmful to themselves or their country. Young Americans must remember that freedom is so important that it was and still is something worth dying for. Being a conscientious U.S. citizen may require large amounts of work and inconvenience, but it is worth it. A loss of our precious freedom as a result of political apathy will bring so much more trouble down the road. America's youth hold enormous trust in our hands. The recent surge of patriotism after the terrorist attacks should be our wake up call. May we realize the truth of President Kennedy's words, ``Ask not what your country can do for you--;ask what you can do for your country.''

Mr. HILL

Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to be a cosponsor of H.R. 2643, the Fort Clatsop National Memorial Expansion Act of 2002. I urge its adoption. I became interested in this bill because the people I represent in Clarksville, Indiana, and the other communities surrounding the Falls of the Ohio have a unique connection to Fort Clatsop and nearby Station Camp in the State of Washington. In October 1803, Lewis and Clark first met at the Falls of the Ohio, recruited the first members of the Corps of Discovery and departed for the West from Clarksville, Indiana, later that same month. It then took more than the 2 years for the Corps of Discovery to reach the Pacific Ocean nearby present-day McGowan, Washington. As many know, our country will begin commemorating the bicentennial of the Lewis and Clark expedition next year. Both the Falls of the Ohio and the lower Columbia region surrounding Fort Clatsop will host national signature events to mark important moments in the journey. Mr. Speaker, the upcoming bicentennial has caused many of us to more carefully examine the history of the Lewis and Clark expedition. In doing so, we have discovered many more important sites, like the Falls of the Ohio and Station Camp, Washington, that have not been properly recognized in the past. The Falls of the Ohio has now been certified by the National Park Service as an official site associated with the Lewis and Clark national historic trail. I hope the National Park Service will quickly perform the feasibility study required by this bill to add the Washington State sites to the Fort Clatsop national memorial. In closing, let me join President Bush in urging all Americans to observe the Lewis and Clark bicentennial and participate in activities to honor the achievement of this important expedition.

Mr. HILL

Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, on June 24, 2002, due to a delayed flight, I missed three votes on the House floor. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes'' on rollcall votes 249, 250, and 251.

Mr. HILL

Mr. HILL. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word. Mr. Chairman, I support providing whatever funds the President needs to fight the war on terrorism. I do not think there is a Republican or a Democrat in this body that does not support the President in fighting this war on terrorism; all the more reason Congress should not be playing politics with this bill, a bill that supplies important funds for our fighting men and our fighting women. Hiding a huge increase in the national debt limit and an assortment of other budget gimmicks to this bill under the cover of darkness, literally in this case, is a political game. A $750 billion increase in the national debt requires, for heaven's sake, an open and thoughtful debate. A $750 billion increase in the national debt requires, surely, an up-or-down vote, not in secret. But we are not going to get either one of those offers this evening. And to this I say shame on the majority. I know all of my constituents expect certain things, regardless of their party affiliation: Straight answers and a willingness to be held accountable for our actions. They know if they charged their credit cards to the limit, they have to pay down their balance or work out an arrangement with the credit card companies to get an increase in their credit limits. They most certainly cannot write a small note on the memo line of their checks to the credit card companies asking those same companies to ``please raise our credit limits'' and expect it to happen. Why should Congress be any different? Why should Congress get to operate under a different set of rules? The short answer is that Congress is no different and should not be able to operate under a different set of rules. Congress should be held accountable for this $750 billion increase in the debt limit and the actions that have made this increase necessary. The days of surpluses are gone, and in a very short time the Social Security lockbox has been emptied and the days of deficits and borrowing money from the public to pay the government's bills are back. Yet the majority has no stomach for taking a step back, looking at the whole budget picture, figuring out how we got into this mess and how we are going to work to try to get out of this mess. My colleague, the gentleman from Kansas (Mr. Moore), and I each offered amendments that would have helped restore fiscal discipline to the Federal budget process. In fact, the Moore-Spratt amendment would have provided limited increases in the debt limit and required Congress and the President to develop a plan to balance the budget without counting Social Security. My amendment would have imposed discipline and accountability in the budget process by extending and strengthening the spending limits and pay-go rules in the Budget Enforcement Act, something that we have been living under for the last several years, something that you all think is necessary, that you voted for. And yet you will not allow that amendment to be put in this spending measure. My amendment would have imposed discipline. But both amendments were ruled out of order. Instead of an open debate on these amendments and what should be done with the government's maxed-out credit card, the majority hid a $750 billion increase in the national debt in this important bill. That, I am afraid, is an action my constituents would find to be a little less than honest. I have been told by my colleagues on this side of the aisle that if the Democrats would be in the majority this evening and would have been offering this bill here this evening, that you on the other side of the aisle would be yelling to the heavens against it, that we should not be increasing this debt limit. And I have no doubt, I have only been here for 2 years, I have no doubt that we have been guilty of what you are doing tonight. So it is time to put away the foolishness of the past. It is time to admit the Democrats in the past have done the wrong thing, and it is time for you all to admit, I would hope, in the sense of doing the right thing, that we have the opportunity to vote up and down on this vote; that we are not doing it in the dead of night; that we do it in a way that is honest; that we not resort to the politics as usual; that we be bipartisan and straightforward with the American public; and that I think the American public would appreciate that.

Mr. HILL

Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, the country's current budget situation is like the proverbial elephant in the living room. He is there and he is larger than life, but very few if any of our colleagues on the other side of the aisle will acknowledge him. Several of my colleagues and I have been over the last several months trying to alert everyone to the elephant's presence. Rest assured that we are going to continue to come down to this House floor and point him out until everybody acknowledges him. This elephant, unfortunately, comes with his own set of numbers. In one year, the projected 10-year surplus decreased $4 trillion. That is the truth. That is a fact. The Federal Government will run a deficit, both this year and next. That is the truth. That is a fact. Because of these deficits, the Federal Government will have to borrow money to pay its bills. That is the truth. That is the fact. To pay for these bills, the Federal Government will borrow almost $2 trillion more this decade than was expected when CBO published its numbers in January, 2001. That is the truth. That is the fact. All told, by the time the interest payments are added in, the national debt will be almost $3 trillion larger than earlier projected when the 10-year budget window closes. That is the truth. That is the fact. And to top it all off, Social Security surplus dollars will be used to help balance the budget through the end of this decade. That is the truth. That is the fact. This is our problem. This is the elephant. Our fiscal house is not in order. For those who are listening, it is probably very hard to determine what is the truth and what is the fact, so we offered an amendment that was rejected by the Committee on Rules: We will agree to the tax cuts, but let us do a study by CBO to in fact determine once and for sure what the truth and the facts are. Are we dipping into Social Security? Are we not managing our house in a fiscally responsible way? This idea was rejected. I am sorry that it was.

Mr. HILL

Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, this evening the Blue Dog Coalition will once again be discussing the administration's request that Congress raise the Federal debt limit, and that is what we want to talk about this evening. The Blue Dog Coalition, for those who are listening, is a group of about 30 Democrats who believe it is important for the Federal Government to be fiscally responsible; in other words, not to spend more money than it takes in. I think the American people, with their families, try to practice their own home budgets in the same way, and the Blue Dog Democrats have adopted this principle. Balancing our budgets helps us keep interest rates lower so that businesses and families can borrow money at lower interest rates. It is the only right and common sense thing to do. The Blue Dogs tonight want to talk about some problems that are going on with our present Federal budget that I think the American people need to hear. This past August, Secretary of the Treasury O'Neill wrote the first of three letters to Congress requesting an increase in the debt limit. In these letters, he asked for a $750 billion increase. None of these letters, however, mentioned how long $750 billion would keep the Federal Government in the clear. More important, none of the letters recognized the irresponsibility inherent in asking Congress to hand the administration a three-quarters of a trillion dollar blank check without also requiring it to explain how we are going to get back to balanced budgets and a Social Security surplus that is off limits. Many of my Blue Dog colleagues have pointed out on past Tuesdays that the Federal debt limit is a lot like the credit limit on any credit card used by any American. The difference in this example is that the administration has hit its credit limit at $5.95 trillion dollars, but not indicated a willingness to examine its own fiscal policies. Few things in life are certain, but I feel confident in saying that the average family in southern Indiana, if faced with a maxed out credit card, would step back for a moment and figure out how he is going to pay it off. In early April, Secretary O'Neill sent another letter to Congress. This time he was writing to inform Senate and House leaders that he was tapping Federal Government retiree accounts, let me repeat that again, that he was tapping Federal Government retiree accounts in order to give the Federal Government the breathing room it needs to continue to meet its spending obligations. Now, Mr. Speaker, in the private world, if a business tried to raid its pension fund and was found guilty of doing that, they would go to jail, but here we are doing a similar thing with government retiree accounts in order to give the government the breathing room it needs to continue to meet its spending obligations. Six years ago, 225 members of the majority party voted to reprimand and prohibit then-Secretary of the Treasury, Robert Rubin, from taking these same actions. Now, one could argue that the old saying, what is good for the goose is good for the gander is in order here. Even if one-quarter of the 147 who remain in the House had been moved to action by Secretary O'Neill's recent maneuver, there is little doubt in my mind that together we would have already sat down to discuss some kind of compromise, a plan to, one, raise the debt limit enough to get the government through this fiscal year; and two, to get our budget back in balance without relying on Social Security surpluses. Historically, partisan squabbling has characterized the debate over whether to increase the Federal debt limit. There are many Blue Dogs, however, who would like to put an end to political gamesmanship and get down to business. We do not believe in political brinkmanship, especially when the ability of the United States Government to continue to meet its lawful financial obligations is on the line. No one among us is suggesting that the Federal Government be allowed to default on its debt. Secretary O'Neill's recent tapping of the Federal employee retirement funds, however, does not change the fact that we are bumping up against the debt ceiling. In fact, action is still needed and the Secretary now has one less accounting trick up his sleeve. As of this evening, the administration has put only one option on the table: raise the debt limit by three-quarters of a trillion dollars. That is it; that is the only option. In early 2001, it was projected that the debt limit would not need raising until 2008. Let me repeat that. In early 2001, last year, it was projected that the debt limit would not need raising until 2008. Even though the administration has requested an increase in the debt limit far sooner than we expected, there has been no talk about its evaluating its own budget policies, no talk about fashioning a plan to get back to a balanced budget without using the Social Security surpluses, and no talk that maybe, just maybe, we have a problem here that needs to be dealt with. The basic Blue Dog position has not changed. We still say that along with any action on the debt limit must come a recognition that we have a problem and a plan to correct that problem. The current budget situation is like the elephant living in the living room. He is there and he is larger than life, but very few, if any, of our colleagues on the other side of this aisle, they will not acknowledge him. Several of my Blue Dog colleagues and I have been, over the past couple of months, trying to alert everyone who will listen, to the elephant's presence. Rest assured that we will keep coming down here to the floor and pointing him out until everyone acknowledges that he exists and he is in the living room. This elephant, unfortunately, comes with his own set of numbers. In one year, the projected 10-year surplus decreased $4 trillion. The Federal Government will run a deficit, both this year and next year. Because of these deficits, the Federal Government will have to borrow money to pay its bills and, to pay these bills, the government will borrow almost $2 trillion more this decade than was expected when the CBO published its numbers in January of 2000. All told, by the time the interest payments are added in, the national debt will be almost $3 trillion larger than earlier projected when the 10-year budget closes. And, to top it all off, Social Security surplus dollars will be used to help balance the budget through the end of the decade. This is our problem: The elephant is a fiscal house not in order. Last year, the Blue Dogs presented a plan that was prudent, fiscally responsible, and dealt with the future of both Social Security and Medicare. Our plan would have cut taxes and paid down the debt. Unfortunately, we were not successful in passing our plan. Now we are being asked to green-light an additional three-quarters of a trillion dollars in debt to help implement the plan that carried the day. That is too much to ask when we have not at all yet acknowledged the elephant in our midst. The conventional wisdom here in Washington is that the long-term increase in the debt limit will be attached to the supplemental appropriations request. This $27 billion supplemental spending request to fund the immediate needs in the war on terrorism is very obviously important. The war is important, and we need to fund it. From the beginning of this war campaign, we have been supportive of doing whatever it takes to make sure our fighting men and women can do their jobs. But pairing an increase in the debt limit to this important bill is not necessary. In fact, it could complicate consideration of the supplemental request. So as members of the Blue Dog Coalition, we are ready to sit down and work with the administration to come up with a plan to get our budget back in balance without using Social Security surpluses, and provide for a short-term increase in the debt limit. It is time for all of us, Democrats and Republicans, to roll up our sleeves and get the work done. Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to yield to the gentleman from the great State of Utah (Mr. Matheson), another member of the Blue Dog Coalition, a new member who has done an outstanding job on the Committee on the Budget.

Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Utah for an outstanding presentation. One of the things that I heard the gentleman talking about was that we are not opposed to raising the debt ceiling. There is a war going on, and there are certain responsibilities that we have to think about. That is one of them. But one of the reasons why I like the Blue Dogs so much is they are a group of Democrats that are responsible. It is responsible to raise the debt ceiling to fight the war, but it is also our responsibility to have some kind of a plan. Right now, there is no plan. Mr. Speaker, I have come to know the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Phelps) very well for the last going on 4 years now, and he is a man with a distinguished record in the Congress of the United States, and one of the outstanding Blue Dogs who feels very strongly about this issue. I yield to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Phelps), a person that I came into Congress with back in 1998, and a person who serves on the Committee on Agriculture and the Committee on the Budget.

Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Illinois for his remarks. He is exactly right, that this is people who paid their payroll taxes. It is their money, and we should be making sure that we preserve it for them in their retirement years, and not be using it for other things. I would like to call on one of the deans of the Blue Dog Coalition, a man I have really come to respect very much. He is a leader on this issue, leader on the Committee on Ways and Means, a leader for the Congress of the United States. So I would like to yield some time to the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Tanner).

Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, reclaiming my time, would the gentleman agree that it was just a couple of years ago when we began to reverse this trend of debt, the United States Government incurring debt, we were actually running a surplus, and would he agree within a very short period of time, say within the last 12 months, we have completely reversed that policy of surplus budgets into deficit spending once again?

Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his leadership on this issue. The gentleman from Tennessee can say it just about as good as anybody in the Congress can say it, and he is exactly right, and his leadership on this issue is very much appreciated. I would like to call on a freshman Member of Congress who has asserted himself as a rising star in the Congress of the United States, the gentleman from California, (Mr. Schiff).

Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from California (Mr. Schiff) for his outstanding remarks and his leadership. The gentleman was talking about Social Security and how important it is and how we need to preserve it for our senior citizens and to protect it. I was in Columbus, Indiana, in a retirement home about a month ago; and I was talking to some retirees in that home. One of the senior citizens spoke up to me and asked a question, Where does Social Security come from? My reply to her, It comes from payroll taxes. And she said, Who pays the payroll taxes? And I said, People who work and employers. She said, What gives the right for people in Congress to steal our money then if we pay the taxes? She is exactly right. If we are spending Social Security surpluses for things other than Social Security, we are in effect stealing that money. Strong words on her part that makes some sense. At that same meeting was a good friend of mine who is going to be the next Speaker, the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer), who is the ranking member of the Committee on House Administration, and the other night his basketball team from Maryland beat my basketball team from Indiana University. And if there was going to be any team that beat the Hoosiers, I would just as soon it be the team of the gentleman from Maryland.

Mr. HILL. I thank the gentleman from Maryland for that strong presentation. The gentleman has been in the Congress for quite some time and has an historical appreciation for the events as they have unfolded on this particular issue. His presentation was an exposure of the truth. That is what we need more of in this institution. I just cannot say enough about that strong presentation. I am glad that though he is not a Blue Dog Democrat, he has the same feelings that we do about this issue and I appreciate his comments. Another Member who is not a Blue Dog Democrat is the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Kind). He has asked to have a few minutes to share with us about this very important issue. I yield to the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Kind).

Mr. HILL. I thank the gentleman from Wisconsin for joining us here this evening.

Mr. HILL

Mr. HILL. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for yielding me time. Mr. Chairman, as a Member of the House Committee on Armed Services, I have a special appreciation for the work our military does in defending our great country. There should be no doubt, absolutely none, that my colleagues and I stand behind the President as he prosecutes the war on terrorism. However, in a genuine attempt to work with both parties and the President, I join the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Stenholm), the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Tanner), the gentleman from Kansas (Mr. Moore) and the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Matheson) in offering a budget substitute that was denied fair consideration by the Committee on Rules, even though it included the President's own priorities and spending levels and simply adjusted them to reflects the CBO's nonpartisan numbers; fully funded the war on terrorism and homeland security initiatives; held the line on spending; provided for a clean debt limit increase; and required the administration to provide a plan to get our budget back into balance and put Social Security surpluses off limits. It is mind-boggling to think that the House leadership could have opposed these aims. But they did. I am disappointed that our good faith attempt at cooperation was dismissed, and I urge my colleagues to vote no on the budget resolution.

Mr. HILL

Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, I rise to support H.R. 1963 and note that a George Rogers Clark Northwest Campaign Trail would not be complete without the inclusion of Clarksville, Indiana and the surrounding Falls of the Ohio area. George Rogers Clark and his troops arrived at the Falls of the Ohio in late May of 1778, where they took possession of Corn Island. It was here that Clark trained his troops and first told them of a secret plan to attack British forts in the Illinois country. On June 24, 1778, Clark and his troops left the Falls to begin the Illinois campaign to take Kaskaskia, Cahokia and Vincennes. Indiana takes great pride in General George Rogers Clark. State law directs the Governor to proclaim each February 25 as ``George Rogers Clark Day'' to mark the anniversary of the surrender of Fort Sackville at Vincennes. Not only did this great victory occur on what would later become part of Indiana, but General Clark and his men were granted 150,000 acres of land for their service by the state of Virginia in what is now Clark and Floyd counties, Indiana. One thousand acres overlooking the Falls of the Ohio River became Clarksville, Indiana. General Clark lived in Clarksville from 1803 to 1809. Just recently, through a grant from the Ogle Foundation and individual contributions from community members, a representation cabin was placed on the site where Clark's original cabin overlooked the Falls of the Ohio. The significance of this site goes beyond General Clark. In 1803, Meriwether Lewis met General Clark's younger brother, William at the cabin to plan the Lewis and Clark Expedition. I applaud Mr. Costello of Illinois for bringing forward this legislation because George Rogers Clark is a largely forgotten hero of the American revolution. He has been overshadowed by the success of his younger brother, William. Yet, through the sheer force of his personality, General Clark motivated his men to endure great hardship and do the impossible. His vision and leadership is credited by historians with assuring America's control of what later became the Northwest Territory. I look forward to the establishment of the George Rogers Clark Northwest Campaign Trail and invite every American to visit the Falls of the Ohio to learn more about this important chapter of our nation's history.

Mr. HILL

Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a fellow Hoosier who has achieved a truly Olympian feat. Dr. Doug Sharp, of Jeffersonville, Indiana, helped to bring one of America's four-man bobsled teams a bronze medal in the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympic Games. Participating in his first Olympic games, Doug helped give his team a four-heat combined time of 3 minutes 7 seconds. Doug's team, along with the silver medal-winning bobsled team, ended a 46-year medal drought for U.S. men's bobsledding. A native of Ohio, Doug now lives in Jeffersonville, and went to Purdue University for his undergraduate degree. After graduation, he went on to become a chiropractor, receiving his degree from the Palmer College of Chiropractic in Davenport, Iowa. Doug narrowly missed competing in the 1996 Summer Games in the pole vault by falling just 4 inches short in the U.S. Olympic trials. Doug remains competitive in track and field as an assistant coach of the University of Louisville track and field team. Doug is no stranger to serving his country. He is a member of the U.S. Army's World Class Athletes Program. The program's mission is to help support and guide world-class athletes to the pinnacle of their chosen sports while maintaining Army careers and representing the U.S. Army before the world. Doug has said that his job, as an Olympic athlete and a representative of the Army, ``is to be an ambassador of good will.'' It is apparent to me that--with or without the Olympic glory--Doug Sharp has already reached the pinnacle. He has served his country well and with distinction. Hoosiers and Americans everywhere are proud of his achievement. He is a true Olympic hero. On behalf of the citizens of the Ninth District and of the State of Indiana, I want to congratulate Dr. Doug Sharp on a job well done.

Mr. HILL

Mr. HILL. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from California for yielding. Madam Speaker, the Federal Government is up to its eyeballs in debt once again. Now the administration is asking Congress to throw it a life preserver so it can, in the words of the Treasury Secretary, ``restore the American economy to the path of long-term growth and ensure the premier status of the Federal Government's debt obligations.'' Now, what is the price tag for accomplishing these aims? Three- quarters of a trillion dollars; three-quarters of a trillion dollars in additional debt, three-quarters of a trillion dollars more debt for our kids and our grandchildren. Now, let me be clear: I am committed to making sure the United States Government can meet all of its fiscal obligations. We Blue Dogs are not down here this evening to propose that Congress should let the Federal Government drown in its own debt. But let me also be clear that it makes no sense for Congress to toss Treasury a 24-karat-gold life preserver, when the administration has not explained how it will put us back on the path of fiscal responsibility. Being back home in southern Indiana the last 11 days gave me the opportunity to listen to Hoosiers and their concerns. Without exception, the people I heard from know what it means to be fiscally responsible. They understand you cannot spend more than you take in. They understand that if for some reason you are in debt, you need to plan to get out of debt. They understand planning from week to week and month to month will require them to make some tough choices. Our constituents deserve nothing less from us. I am prepared, my Blue Dog colleagues are prepared, and we all must be prepared to make the tough choices here in Congress. Tonight we are asking the President to take the lead and show us the way back to a balanced budget that does not use the Social Security surplus. The President's proposed budget makes clear that there is much work to be done in order to achieve this goal. In fact, it projects deficits financed by borrowing the Social Security surplus through the year 2009. Times have certainly changed. In 1999 and 2000, the entire Social Security surplus was available to pay down the national debt. By contrast, this year and next the Federal Government will spend every single dime of the Social Security surplus on everything but Social Security and paying down the debt. As a consequence, the national debt is now expected to be roughly $2.75 trillion larger than was estimated just a year ago. It should come as no surprise, Madam Speaker, that Hoosiers also understand how this increased debt burden can make their already-tough choices even tougher. With the Federal Government again borrowing from the public, long-term interest rates almost certainly will not come down. In fact, they probably will rise. As long as these rates are static, or, worse, on the rise, small business people, credit card users and home buyers will get pinched. Plain and simple: the size of the national debt matters, not only to those who make their living crunching numbers and working in think- tanks. The President has performed admirably while prosecuting the war on terrorism. Tonight, Madam Speaker, we are asking that he exhibit the same leadership by proposing a way to get the country's budget back on track, and that means balanced budgets and hands-off on Social Security surpluses.

Mr. HILL

Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, ``Neither snow, nor rain, no heat, nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.'' These words ring truer now than ever before. In recent weeks, our country's postal workers have once again proven that their determination to get the job done is second to none. Thankfully, the anthrax scare that recently gripped the Nation has subsided. This does not mean that we should be less diligent when it comes to looking for lessons to draw from these acts of terrorism. Even now, it is clear that commerce in this country is inextricably linked to confidence in our mail system. Maintaining confidence in the system requires that we do whatever is necessary to ensure the mail's safety. I was reminded of this a few weeks ago as I toured postal facilities in southern Indiana. Simply, I got an earful. Foremost in the minds of these dedicated Hoosiers was the question of when would the mail facilities receive the help needed to purchase and install anti- biological irradiation equipment. I hope the answer to that particular question is sooner rather than later. The Postal Service needs our help. In the meantime, I have no doubt that Postal Service employees will continue to brave the elements and the unknown and deliver the mail.

Mr. HILL of Indiana

Mr. HILL of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, on October 16, 2001, due to a momentary failure of the House bells system, I missed one vote on the House floor. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes'' on roll call vote 393 to pass H.R. 2217, a bill making appropriations for the Department of the Interior and related agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2002, and for other purposes.

Mr. HILL

Mr. HILL. I thank the gentleman and my good friend, the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Larson), for yielding me a bit of time. I want to also commend the gentleman for the work that he has put forth on this particular idea. It is a good idea, and it is an idea that I can support wholeheartedly. The September 11 terrorist attack on the United States has made us more aware of the threats that exist in the world today. It has also made us more aware of how we can combat these dealers in death. Your Municipal Preparation and Strategic Response Act of 2001 is a crucial step toward improving our ability to deal with acts of terrorism. In rural districts like mine in southern Indiana, the firemen and policemen and emergency medical teams are often the first line of defense against disasters. Often funding for these great protectors of ours is lacking. September 11 has made it clear that for a new kind of warfare, we need a new kind of warrior. It will now take more than just our military and intelligence forces to keep us completely safe. We must make sure that first responders in our cities and towns have the training, the equipment, and the personnel to effectively respond to any disaster. It has got to be a bottom-up approach because the police officer that patrols your street or the firefighter that is your neighbor will be the first person in any disaster scene. They are taking the greatest risk as we saw in New York City and they are providing the greatest service. It is our duty to provide for the common defense and general welfare of the United States. To accomplish that is now our duty to give them the best tools possible to face that risk and to provide that service. Your bill provides $1 billion of grant money that will go directly to local cities and towns to support emergency responders. It will also provide $250 million to the COPS program and $250 million to the Firefighters Assistance Program, which has already benefited fire departments in southern Indiana. In the past, some may have taken our first responders in our communities for granted. This bill, our bill, would help ensure that that never happens again; and I thank the gentleman for yielding to me.

Mr. HILL

Mr. HILL. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of that part of the amendment of the gentleman from South Dakota which directs the Secretary of Agriculture to appoint an interagency task force on agricultural competition. Family farmers in Indiana often say they feel squeezed by the growing power and size of agribusinesses. They say they have fewer and fewer choices on where and with whom to do business. A farmer often has no choice but to buy seeds, fertilizer and chemicals from a division of the same company that will end up buying the farmer's finished crops at harvest. Farmers and ranchers also say that their bargaining power is eroding more every day as big changes take place in American agriculture. As agribusinesses merge and become vertically integrated, America's family farmers worry there is no room for them in the future of agriculture. It is alarming enough that there are one-third as many farms now as there were in the 1930s. There were 7 million farms in the United States in the 1930s. Now there are about 2.2 million farms, a decline of 70 percent in 70 years. Now farmers fear they are losing control of their ability to make regular, routine decisions about their own small businesses. The facts seem to bear out the concerns of America's farmers and ranchers. The five largest beef packers account for about 83 percent of the cattle slaughter. The four largest corn exporters control nearly 70 percent of that market. Just 50 producers market half of all the pigs raised in this country. Farmers and ranchers are the heart of America's rural communities, and they feel they are being ignored by the law. It is time their concerns about agribusinesses are addressed. If the big companies are engaging in anticompetitive practices, our farmers and ranchers deserve to know the facts. And if agribusinesses are doing business fairly, farmers and ranchers should know that as well. The interagency task force on agricultural competition would review the lessening of competition in agriculture and recommend appropriate administrative and legislative action. For that reason, I ask that Members support this amendment.

Mr. HILL

Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me the time. Mr. Speaker, it is indeed a pleasure to rise today in support of H.R. 1583, a bill to name the Federal Building and United States Courthouse in New Albany, Indiana after my friend and mentor and colleague and the former Congressman of southern Indiana's ninth district, Lee Hamilton. I would like to thank all of my colleagues in the Indiana congressional delegation for supporting this bill: the gentlewoman from Indiana (Ms. Carson), and the gentlemen from Indiana (Mr. Burton), (Mr. Buyer), (Mr. Hostettler), (Mr. Kerns), (Mr. Pence), (Mr. Roemer), (Mr. Souder), and (Mr. Visclosky). I would also like to thank Senators Evan Bayh and Dick Lugar for their invaluable help in sponsoring a companion bill in the Senate, and I would also like to thank Indiana State Representatives Bill Cochran and Jim Bottorff for urging Congress to designate this building in honor of Lee. Lee Hamilton served the people of southern Indiana with distinction for 34 years in the United States House of Representatives. He established himself as a leader in international affairs, serving as the chairman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, and the Iran-Contra Investigation Committee. Lee was an honorable, forthright, and trustworthy Member of Congress who always provided a voice of reason when our Nation dealt with foreign policy issues throughout the Cold War. We still count on Lee today. It is no surprise to me, nor to any of Lee's former colleagues, to see the media and other scholars turn to Lee for his expertise in the wake of the terrorist attacks on September 11. In troubled times like these, our Nation needs statesmen and our country demands leadership. Throughout his public life, Lee has always fulfilled those needs and met those demands. Lee was my Congressman from the time I was 12 years old until he retired in 1998. His commonsense leadership in Congress helped make southern Indiana a better place for Hoosier families to live and work. When Lee retired from Congress in 1998, Washington Post columnist David Broder wrote: ``Hamilton is a throwback to the old days of the House, and not just because he still has the crew cut he wore when he came to Washington as a small town Hoosier in the Democratic landslide of 1964. He is an exemplar of common sense and an instinctively moderate model of legislator that used to be common in Congress but is increasingly rare today.'' Lee now serves as the director of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and the director of the Center on Congress at Indiana University. His distinguished service as a Congressman and scholar has won him numerous public service awards and honorary degrees, far too many to list here today. One thing is certain, though: throughout all Lee's professional successes, he never forgot the people of southern Indiana. To his neighbors and constituents, he was never ``Congressman Hamilton,'' nor was he ``Chairman Hamilton,'' he was just ``Lee.'' Even when he was being considered as a Vice-Presidential nominee or Secretary of State, or weighing a possible Senate campaign, Lee was never untouchable. He has always been down to earth and accessible and continues to embody the values and ideals of the people of southern Indiana. It is fitting we designate this Federal building and the U.S. courthouse as the Lee H. Hamilton Federal Building to pay tribute to his limitless dedication and service to the people of southern Indiana.

Mr. HILL

Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me time. Mr. Speaker, we often see ourselves as Democrats and Republicans, Methodists or Presbyterians, black or white, Gentiles, Jews or Muslims, before we see ourselves as Americans. But today we are Americans first. We need to look no further than yesterday for evidence of this. Men and women, young and old, risking their lives, giving their lives, to come to the aid of those in need. As a Nation, we pray for those whose lives have been forever changed by these acts, and we give thanks for the blessings which remain: family, liberty, friendship, and home. Now we turn to the task ahead: finding the cowards who did this and making them pay. Then we shall repair our injured cities and restore our sense of security. The enemy has attacked our way of life. They want to make us less trusting, less safe, less free. Less American. They underestimate the resolve of the American people. So let us remain uniquely, proudly, and defiantly American.

Mr. HILL

Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, I did not vote on House Concurrent Resolution 145 when the House of Representatives considered it on June 13th (rollcall vote No. 161). Had I voted on House Concurrent Resolution 145, I would have voted ``yea.''

Mr. HILL

Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, because May is National Stroke Awareness Month, I rise today to express my concern about the devastating effect stroke has on Americans. Every 53 seconds, someone in America has a stroke. About 600,000 Americans will have a stroke this year, and 160,000 of them will die. In fact, stroke is the third leading cause of death in America, and one of the leading causes of disability. Stroke impacts all of our communities. Millions of husbands, wives and children make sacrifices every day to care for loved ones who suffer a stroke. The good news is that we are conducting exciting research to find new ways to provide rehabilitation to stroke survivors to help them regain lost abilities. Mr. Speaker, I urge my fellow members to continue to support research efforts to help stroke survivors achieve the greatest quality of life.