Vicky Hartzler

Mrs. HARTZLER

Mrs. HARTZLER. Absolutely, lady. Thank you. It is important that we get the truth out and that seniors have an opportunity to hear the truth about our bills and the steps that we are taking to try to protect and defend them. Now I get to introduce to you my fellow colleague from the great State of North Carolina, Representative Renee Ellmers.

Mrs. HARTZLER. Thank you, Diane. Now I am happy to introduce my good friend from the great State of Alabama, Congresswoman Martha Roby.

Mrs. HARTZLER. I thank you, Jaime. I am now happy to yield to my good friend and fellow runner from the great State of Ohio, Congresswoman Jean Schmidt.

Mrs. HARTZLER. Thank you, lady. I certainly share your commitment and the heart-wrenching reality of Alzheimer's disease and our need to focus on it here. Our next speaker is from the great State of Washington, Representative Jaime Herrera Beutler.

Mrs. HARTZLER. Thank you, lady, and absolutely we are going to fulfill those promises. Now I would like to yield as much time as she may consume to the gentlelady from Texas, Representative Kay Granger, who wants to share a little bit her thoughts on seniors.

Mrs. HARTZLER. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today, I am here to lead a very important discussion regarding America's Greatest Generation--our senior citizens. I have the greatest respect and heartfelt affection for this special group of people. This respect and affection originated with the special relationship I had with my grandparents. I valued spending time with them and loved learning from them. I learned how to catch a fish and golf from Granddad Zellmer, how to clean and cook a fish from Grandma Zellmer, how to ride a horse and milk a cow from Granddad Purdy, and how to crochet and make homemade butter from Grandma Purdy. Out of the love of my grandparents grew a love and respect for all senior citizens. I believe their wisdom should be sought and valued in our society and that generations should be linked to benefit from each other. As a teacher, I initiated programs to bring young people together with senior citizens, and wrote my master's thesis on it. I can tell you that it's a winning combination. Throughout my life, I have been dedicated to advocate for senior citizens. For over 10 years, I served on the Cass County Council on Aging. I helped raise money for our Meals on Wheels program and for other important programs to help senior citizens. Now I'm honored to represent and to serve the great people of Missouri's Fourth Congressional District, which is home to over 120,000 seniors. You can trust that I will ensure that this cherished generation is never overlooked. There are many challenges facing our Nation's senior citizens: financial stress, health challenges, housing issues, and family difficulties. My Republican women colleagues and I want you to know that we care, that we hear your concerns, and that we are here to stand by you and to fight for you and for workable solutions. I'm honored to have the privilege tonight of leading this discussion and introducing you to some of the most dedicated women in Congress who, like me, care about seniors and are fighting for you. I would now like to yield as much time as she may consume to my good friend from just across the State line, a fellow farm girl and my travel buddy back and forth to the Kansas City airport, Representative Lynn Jenkins.

Mrs. HARTZLER. Thank you, Shelley. Tonight you have heard from a lot of us, Republican women here in Congress. You've heard our stories and our love and our respect for senior citizens, and our heartfelt desire and commitment to serve and to represent them and to make sure that their rights are protected and that their voice is heard here. You've heard how we have had proactive plans put forth here in the House from our group to address Medicare and to preserve and protect it for the future. You've heard how we care about Social Security, and we're not going to take it away. We want to make sure it is there for future generations. You've heard of our concerns for Alzheimer's and the other diseases that are ravaging our aging population, and our desire and our commitment to move forward and make sure that those are addressed and that we make sure and find a cure there. You've heard of how we are listening to the financial challenges that we are hearing from the seniors in our districts and the plans that we put forth to eliminate the estate tax so one generation can pass on their farm or their small business to another generation without the Federal Government taking the property or taking the farm. You've heard our commitment to veterans and to those who have sacrificed so much so that we can stay free. We're going to honor those commitments and those sacrifices. Lastly, you've heard about our respect for this generation, and we know of their desire to pass on an America to their grandchildren that is just as great and just as promising as the one they grew up in. We are committed to making sure that we rein in our runaway federal spending here, we keep our fiscal house in order as a country, and that that promise is alive and well for their grandchildren. We are committed to moving forward as a group. We thank you for listening, and we thank you, Mr. Speaker, for this time.

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

Mrs. HARTZLER. Thank you, Ann Marie. I now yield to the woman from Wyoming, Representative Cynthia Lummis.

Mrs. HARTZLER. Thank you, Cynthia. I appreciate it. And now my friend from West Virginia, Representative Shelley Moore Capito.

Mrs. HARTZLER. Thank you so much, Virginia. Now I would like to yield time to another good friend from New York, Ann Marie Buerkle.

Mrs. HARTZLER

Mrs. HARTZLER. I thank my dear colleague here for yielding. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of the Protect Life Act, which will ensure that taxpayer dollars are not used to pay for abortions through last year's health care bill. It is right and proper that we should do so. Every life deserves to be born and is worthy of life. Every life has a purpose and a plan. King David reminds us of the value of life in our Creator's eyes when he penned the following: ``For You created my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from You when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the Earth, Your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in Your Book before one of them came to be.'' I'm thankful that our Declaration of Independence recognizes that we are endowed by our Creator with inalienable rights, including the right to life. Our Founding Fathers laid out the principle of life, and today we have an opportunity to affirm and carry on that mantle by passing the Protect Life Act.

Mrs. HARTZLER

Mrs. HARTZLER. I thank the chairman for bringing this bill forward. I am so excited to be here today and so proud to support Senate bill 846, which renames the new Federal courthouse in my district of Jefferson City the Christopher S. Bond United States Courthouse. This is such a fitting tribute to a great Missourian, who I have had the privilege of knowing and working with over the years. Senator Bond was first elected in 1986 to the U.S. Senate and served over 24 years representing our State here valiantly in the United States Congress. And before he came here to the Senate, he served two terms as Governor and was also State auditor. He is known for accomplishing many things--and there's not enough time to share all of them--but one thing he is certainly noted for is that he started the Parents as Teachers program and took it statewide. That has benefited thousands of children in Missouri and across this country, and certainly I participated with our daughter. It's a wonderful, wonderful program. He is also a great supporter of free trade. He had been a champion of building highways and infrastructure, which has enabled vital investments in our roads and bridges in Missouri. He was vice chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, and he worked for bipartisan support to renew the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. He is a strong defender of our military and our national defense. As part of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, he worked to continue operation of Boeing's F-15 production line in a plant next to the St. Louis airport. And we always heard about how proud he was of his son's service in the military. But being from the farm, I appreciated Senator Bond's support of agriculture. He was certainly a leader in making Missouri a leader in agricultural research. He is a leader whose service has improved the lives of thousands of Missourians, an example of patriotism that has inspired future leaders to follow in his footsteps. Every time now that Missourians will drive by this courthouse, they will be inspired to serve their fellow man--service above self--just like Kit Bond has done all of these years. I want to close with some words that Kit said himself about his service, and I think it's an example for all of us in Missouri and across this country. He said: ``Serving Missouri has been my life's work. I have walked the land, fished its rivers, and been humbled by the honesty and hard work of our people. The highest honor is to receive and safeguard the public trust.''

Mrs. HARTZLER

Mrs. HARTZLER. Thank you, Dr. Heck. It is an honor to be here today and to be able to share a few words in memory of what happened on 9/11. 9/11 changed our world forever. It is this generation's Pearl Harbor, and it will live on in infamy. Most of us will always remember where we were when we heard the news of the attack. I was at home with our then 1\1/2\-year-old daughter, who was just finishing breakfast. It was a bright, clear, sunny day in the fall. The doorbell rang. My neighbor was on my doorstep, saying that he'd just heard on the radio that a plane had hit the World Trade Center towers. Thinking it a tragic accident, we turned on the TV and were horrified to watch a second plane crash into the second tower. This wasn't an accident. America was under attack. The hours after that were surreal as we learned of the attack on the Pentagon, of the brave passengers who intervened on Flight 93, of the airplane trails in the sky that did an about-face, then dissipated-- they were no more--as planes were grounded all across this country. We then watched in horror on TV as the towers collapsed and thousands lost their lives. My neighbor left; and I, like most Americans, turned in prayer to the one who gives comfort, strength and hope during times like this. I held my daughter close, wondering what the future would bring. Since that time, our men and women in uniform, our intelligence community and our law enforcement have confronted the face of terror head-on and have prevented another attack. For that we are so grateful. We recognize their service and their sacrifice and pray a similar attack never occurs again. This Sunday, we commemorate 10 years since that fateful day. We each will remember the day in our own way, but one theme is prevalent: We will never forget. We mourn the loss of the lives of thousands of innocent Americans, whose lives were snuffed out in a senseless act of terror. We commend the first responders and volunteers who intervened in the hours and days following the event to get us back on our feet again. We commend their service and their courage, but we must remain vigilant. Forces of evil still want to kill innocent citizens and snuff out the beacon of freedom and liberty to the world. We will not be deterred. We will continue to uphold the principles of freedom. We will not turn back. With God's grace, we will prevail and continue to be a beacon of hope for generations to come.

Mrs. HARTZLER

Mrs. HARTZLER. Thank you, Renee. We certainly appreciate your hosting this today, and I certainly am glad to lend my support for a balanced budget amendment. It goes back to my childhood. I've shared this before, but I wanted to share this again because this is what I grew up with, and I believe it's what most Americans grew up with. I grew up on a farm, and it was just my mom and my dad and my sister and me. And every January my mom would get out all these ledger papers and lay them out on the kitchen table. That was before the days of the computers. Each page represented a month. And she and my dad would spend days, literally, charting out the cash flow for our farm for the rest of the year. And they would try to estimate how much the yield was going to be on the corn and the soybeans, and they had to guess how much the price was going to be, and they researched the cost of the seed and the other inputs and the fuel, and they charted that all out, and then our mortgage payments. They were able to, through working that pencil and erasing and reworking it, figure out how they were going to make everything work, how they were going to be able to live within their means. It wasn't always easy, but as the years went on and conditions changed, Mother would get that eraser out and she would readjust that cash flow to make sure that we stayed in balance, make sure that we had everything that we needed. And that's just common sense. That's families balancing their budget. I carry on that tradition. I do it, and people all over Missouri's Fourth District do it. Families I talk to, they say, Every year we balance our budget, how come Washington doesn't? Every small business I visit says, We balance our budget, how come Washington doesn't? Every farmer and rancher I visit with says, We balance our budget, how come Washington doesn't? We have got to start taking the common sense from the people and apply it here in Washington. Even the States, they certainly are one up on us here--49 out of the 50 States have a balanced budget amendment. They live within their means. Yet Washington thinks they don't need it. Well, I think they do. With a $14.3 trillion debt that we have now, it is evident that people here cannot live within their means, and they need to have the constraints of a budget. So we've passed it here in the House. It was the right thing to do. It's supported by the American people. Now the Senate and the President need to get on board. Why the President would oppose our cut, cap, and balance plan, I have no idea. I want the President to share with me and with all of us and the American people why he does not support balancing our budget. We do it at home. We need to do it in Washington, and we need to do it now. Thank you.

Mrs. HARTZLER

Mrs. HARTZLER. Mr. Speaker, only in Washington can you hear people say that it's irresponsible to balance the budget. I actually heard Democratic leaders on TV this weekend complaining that it would require a supermajority vote to raise taxes on the American people but only a majority to cut spending. Well, maybe some people have been in Washington too long to realize it, but the American people want to tie Washington's hands and make it easier to cut spending than raise taxes. They want to cap the growth of government. They want to require a balanced budget. For decades we've heard excuses for why Washington's special and shouldn't be forced to balance its budget. It's time to tell those people that their scare tactics are over. This is a new day. In America the people are sovereign, and today the people demand accountability. They demand a responsible, constrained government. They demand a balanced budget. Clearly Washington is never going to choose to balance its budget; so the people demand that we force it to. Forty-nine out of fifty States have some form of a balanced budget amendment. If 98 percent of the States know this is a wise plan, why do Washington politicians fight tooth and nail against it? The answer is plain and simple: power. They will try to scare the American people any way they can to avoid losing power over this massive, bloated bureaucracy. They will say today that they must have this power or else they can't keep taking care of people. They will try to scare seniors to continue their unrestrained power to borrow. They say they will manage their borrowing power wisely; they will restrain themselves. Well, talk is cheap, and I've heard this same line for decades. What matters are results. How have Washington politicians been managing their borrowing power? One number will tell you: $14.3 trillion--the amount of our debt today. A balanced budget amendment is essential because the government has shown time and time again that until we restrain its spending with fiscal handcuffs, the problem will continue. President Obama has only made our spending problem worse by adding $3.7 trillion to the national debt in just 2 years. The President has spent more money in less time than any other leader in American history. Last week President Obama told Republicans, ``Don't call my bluff.'' Well, I for one think this game has gone on long enough. The power needs to be restrained. As Lord Acton famously said, ``All power tends to corrupt; absolute power corrupts absolutely.'' Today we fight back against this corruption of absolute power. Today we stand with the American people. Today we vote to return the power to the people. We invite President Obama to get on board, oppose this runaway spending, and pass a balanced budget. Five years ago he agreed. On March 16, 2006, then-Senator Barack Obama stood in the well of the Senate and said, ``The fact that we are here today to debate raising America's debt limit is a sign of leadership failure.'' He spoke of the ``commonsense budgeting principle of balancing expenses and revenues.'' But then 5 years down the road, unfortunately, President Obama is singing a different tune. He has demanded more borrowing authority with no strings attached. When his own party voted against that proposal a few weeks ago, he started telling us that we must raise the debt ceiling and called our commonsense budgeting reforms ``gimmicks'' and ``radical.'' Well, here's what I'm hearing from people in Missouri, my district. That's where common sense is: Here's Reggie from Adrian, Missouri: ``Raising the debt ceiling is like handing five more credit cards to someone who has already maxed out 50 other credit cards and then sitting back and saying you fixed the problem. How dumb would that be?'' Here's from Michael in Sedalia: ``Don't give in. As a veteran receiving a pension, I continue to stand behind you and the House leadership in expecting meaningful spending cuts before raising the debt ceiling without raising taxes. Taxpayers don't like what's going on, and we aren't going to sit by and watch anymore.'' Here's from Margaret from Lake Ozark: ``A minimum of $4 billion over 10 years is a drop in the bucket. We also need a constitutional amendment since our leaders can't seem to stop spending and do the right thing. Do the right thing now.'' Here's from Judy from Warsaw, Missouri: ``The very idea of increasing the debt limit to get us out of trouble is absurd. You cannot borrow your way out of trouble. Deal with it. Cut the pork.'' Mark from Camdenton, Missouri: ``We have always had to live within our means, and it is time for the government to do the same. We can't have everything we want. The government needs to be reduced. I do not think my children and grandchildren should pay for our lack of responsibility.'' Larry from Conway, Missouri: ``This is a turning point in history.'' I agree. Let's do the right thing. Today let's pass Cut, Cap, and Balance.

Mrs. HARTZLER

Mrs. HARTZLER. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of amendment No. 21, sponsored by my friend and colleague from Missouri. This amendment is a commonsense idea to save tax dollars and ensure that the Missouri River focuses on protecting human life and property. It ensures $25 million of taxpayer dollars won't be wasted on a second study of the purposes of the Missouri River. A 17-year, $35 million study was just completed in 2004 to look at the purposes of this river. We don't need a second study, and we don't need to squander the taxpayers' money in this way. Think about how much money is proposed for this study: $25 million. That's a lot of money. As a commonsense person from Missouri, I have to ask: How does government spend that much money on a study? $500,000 is a lot of money where I come from. How about $1 million or $2 million? Think of what the average family could do with $1 million or $2 million. But this study thinks that's not enough. It wants $25 million to study a river that's already been studied. Now is the time for common sense. Now is the time for fiscal sanity. Now is the time to stop spending money we don't have on things we don't need.

Mrs. HARTZLER. Thank you, Representative Luetkemeyer. I rise today in support of this amendment. Like he said, this amendment is about priorities. What is important? Or better yet, who is important? I would contend that people are important, people along the Missouri River, people who are seeing their homes flooded and their livelihoods destroyed due to flooding. Crops, businesses, and homes are underwater as levees have been breached and overtopped in parts of Missouri. Now is the time to refocus our attention on what matters as we manage the Missouri River. We need to protect people and property. The President's 2012 budget, as Representative Luetkemeyer said, requested $72 million to ``recover'' the river for two birds and one fish, but only $6.1 million for operations and maintenance on the levees from Sioux City to St. Louis. Now, that's an example of wrong priorities. This amendment ensures that the Corps of Engineers continues to focus on people and keep flood control and navigation as the focus. It's time to get our priorities back and to save tax dollars while we're doing it. That's a good combination.

Mrs. HARTZLER

Mrs. HARTZLER. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker, and thank you, my friend from Washington State. This is so exciting to get to be here tonight, to get to visit with the American people about what it means to be a Republican woman, and I am honored to represent Missouri's Fourth Congressional District, and as I share with people about the great district that I get to represent, it's a story of the heartland. Missouri's Fourth District, we are just made of small towns and farms, and we work hard and we hunt on weekends and go to church on Sundays, and we just want the government to leave us alone. And basically, what we have seen over the years is Washington getting bigger and bigger and pushing out the private enterprise and threatening our basic freedoms. And so that's what we have to push back against and restore America's greatness. Who I am and the reasons I align myself with the Republican Party is a reflection of my background and experiences that I've had over the years. I wanted to share just a few of those things with you. I grew up on a farm near Archie, Missouri, and my mom and my dad and my sister and I, we raised corn and soy beans and had a lot of hogs and had a cow/calf operation. And one thing that strikes me as very pivotal to my life is my parents in January would sit down and take several days cash-flowing the year, projecting forward what they thought the yields on the crops were going to be, the prices on the crops, looking at the expenses, the payments that we had, seeing if we'd be able to make it all work. And after a few years, my mom and dad called my sister and I over and said, you need to sit here with us and learn this process. Well, I can tell you, as a little kid, that wasn't the most exciting way to spend our evenings, but it was a wonderful experience because we learned how hard it was to make everything work and to pay for everything and to live within your means. And I learned that you can't spend more than you take in. I learned fiscal responsibility that is so much a part of the Republican Party, and what we're here trying to do is to restore that because Washington keeps spending money that it doesn't have, and we can't do that at home. We don't do it on our farms. We don't do it in our businesses, and it's time that Washington learned some lessons from the heartland and from ordinary families like mine. Something else I learned on the farm is that hard work pays off usually. Of course there are a lot of things dealing with weather and other things that you can't control. But one thing lately that you can't control is the amount of government regulations that are threatening agriculture. Now the EPA is trying to regulate dust. Well, I still live on a gravel road. And I have news for people at the EPA: If you farm, if you drive down a gravel road, you are going to get dust. So don't try to fine us or tell us that we can't have that. That's just a lack of common sense. So Washington needs to listen to us ordinary people and not do that. Something else I learned growing up was a love of our country and a respect for our military. My dad served in the U.S. Army Reserves. That really made a huge impression on me, that he was willing to serve his country. And all of those brave men and women who today are putting their lives on the line for us deserve our highest respect. According to the Constitution, there are only a few things we're supposed to do, and one of them is to provide for the common defense. And I'm so honored to sit on the House Armed Services Committee, where I can work hard for those men and women and keep our country strong and safe and secure. I grew up and became a teacher, and I taught home economics. Now they call it ``family and consumer sciences.'' I love that. I chose that profession because I believe in the family, and I want to make it as strong as possible, and I love young people. One thing I taught was a class dealing with finances in the home. I taught the kids how to balance a checkbook, and kids got it. I would say, You can't spend more than you take in. They understood it. And I don't understand how come Washington doesn't understand that same principle. So that's what I'm trying to bring here, how we need to have a balanced budget. And that is one thing the Republicans are fighting for. I also taught a class called food services. It was a vocational class where we actually--I trained them in how to have a job. And a lot of food service jobs are beginning career opportunities for young people, and they can move forward. But I taught them, if you work hard and you do an excellent job and become skilled in what you do, you can move forward in life. And in America, anything is possible. I want that to still be the mantra that we share with our young people today, and make sure we preserve the opportunity that we had. Later I was a State representative. And then after that, the Governor appointed me as chairman of the Missouri Women's Council, and I enjoyed that for 2 years. In that council, as an agency in the Department of Economic Development, we helped women connect with and meet their economic goals, and that's jobs. You know, Mr. Speaker, women are starting businesses at twice the rate of men, which amounts to 400 new businesses every day that are started by women. And women-owned businesses are the fastest-growing segment of the United States economy. There are 10.6 million businesses owned in the United States by women that employ over 19 million American workers, and women-owned businesses generate some $2.46 trillion in revenue each year. Women are smart. They're able to own their own businesses, and we here in Washington need to help them meet those goals, not provide hindrances for it. And clearly from the last speaker, you see that President Obama's plan has failed. Throwing money at something does not create jobs. There is a better plan. I'm also a small business owner now. My husband and I own a company where we sell farm equipment. We employ about 50 people, have three stores. So I know the challenges of day-to-day operating a small business in America. Most jobs in America are created by small business owners, the same people that President Obama is trying to tax. What he doesn't understand is that if you tax job creators more, they're not going to have money to be able to hire a worker. It doesn't make sense. We've got to change course here. A couple of stories, quickly, I wanted to share with you from businesses in my district reflect how the policies here in Washington are killing jobs. One is, when I was on the campaign trail a couple of years ago, I met with a business who told me that they wanted to open up a second location. Things were going pretty well. They had about 30 employees at the time. But they asked about this new health care bill that was being debated, that the President was pushing through. And they said, If this passes, our business will fold. We provide health care for our employees as much as possible. We provide them a stipend so they can go buy their own policies. But if this bill passes, we can't afford that. So they told me they have decided not to open up a second location because of the government's takeover of health care that Washington was forcing down the throats of Americans. That is tragic because in this town, there are hundreds of people out of work. And it broke my heart that what is going on here in Washington was directly causing people to be unemployed back home. Another example: I've been visiting with a lot of companies in my district that manufacture goods. And thank goodness we still have a lot of manufacturing jobs here in America. But as I visit with them, they share with me the hurdles that they're having to overcome just to stay open because of Washington's policies of high taxes and regulations. Their competition is overseas. And they've told me, Vicky, we do not want to move to China. We do not want to take those jobs there. But yet if we move there, we're not going to have to pay near as many taxes, and we don't have to live by these awful regulations from EPA and all these other government agencies. So we're going to try to stay here as long as possible. But please, please help us get government off our backs. And I assured them I certainly would do everything that I can because, you know, as House Republicans, we know how to create jobs, and that's what we're putting forward. We're putting forth a plan to lower taxes. We're putting forth plans to push back on these government regulations that are out there that are killing jobs, hurting our farmers. We are promoting trade overseas and want to get these trade agreements passed--and we're also getting rid of that huge uncertainty of debt that is hanging over our country and promoting a balanced budget, like my mom and dad did around the kitchen table at home, like I taught my kids at school how to do. But the last thing that influences me is being a wife and mother. And that is what inspires me to continue to fight for faith, family, freedom, and our future. That's what we're all about.

Mrs. HARTZLER

Mrs. HARTZLER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express disappointment with President Obama's proposal for Israel to return to its pre-1967 borders. President Obama's call for Israel to make more sacrifices in the pursuit of peace in the Middle East is unacceptable. The borders that were established in 1967 followed three wars launched against Israel. For Israel, acceptance of the 1967 borders would mean that Israeli sacrifices were for nothing. The territory acquired by the Israelis after they were subjected to unprovoked attacks serves as a buffer between Israel and enemies intent on destroying her. We all want to see peace in the Middle East. But it is unrealistic and naive to think that peace will come as a result of Israel, the only democratic state in the region, making more concessions. Restoring the pre-1967 borders would be a victory for Hamas, a terrorist group committed to Israel's demise. This is not the path to peace, and the President should acknowledge this. President Obama must stand by our most steadfast ally in the region. He must acknowledge that peace cannot be achieved through Israel's weakening its ability to defend itself against terrorists. The President, and all of us, must stand with Israel.

Mrs. HARTZLER

Mrs. HARTZLER. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the rule and of H.R. 1540, the National Defense Authorization Act, and I want to thank Chairman McKeon and Ranking Member Smith for bringing this important bill to fruition. The legislation we have demonstrates support for our troops. It is a good bill that will provide them with the tools and support they need as they protect our freedoms and our liberties. In funding our military for 2012, we ensure our troops who are deployed in Afghanistan, Iraq, and elsewhere in the world have the equipment and resources they need to succeed in their missions. There is no higher priority than advocating on their behalf, and they deserve nothing less than the best. We need to send a clear message to the men and women fighting for our Nation that this Congress is committed to keeping our national defense a priority. We are a Nation at war with men and women fighting in harm's way at this very minute. We need not forget that we face threats throughout the world with enemies bent on destroying our way of life. We have a constitutional responsibility to provide for the common defense. I support our troops, and I am proud to stand with them as they protect our freedoms.

Mrs. HARTZLER

Mrs. HARTZLER. I rise today to express the frustration of the good people of Missouri's Fourth District with our Nation's gas prices. As I traveled around the Fourth District last week speaking at eight town hall meetings, the one comment I heard everywhere I went was that gas prices are crippling our families and our businesses. One over-the-road trucker that I visited with from El Dorado Springs told me that just a couple of years ago he would bring $1,000 in cash on the road with him for a week's worth of diesel, but now he has to come up with $2,500 in cash before climbing in the cab. This is extremely hard for someone just trying to make ends meet, and carrying so much cash is dangerous, too. Every extra dollar in gas prices means one less dollar for a family's food, clothes, or spending time together at a ball game. For the average driver, the increased cost of gas since the President took office is nearly $1,100 a year. We must stop the government from standing between its citizens and reasonable gas prices. This country has been blessed with some of the most abundant resources on the face of the Earth, but this administration has stood in the way of exploring and utilizing them at every turn. It's time for the President to get out of the way and let us get to work developing our own sources of energy.

Mrs. HARTZLER

Mrs. HARTZLER. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3. This is not a controversial bill. This is a commonsense bill to rein in our runaway government spending and to quit spending money on things that the American citizens don't want. Certainly we should not be spending our hard-earned tax dollars on abortion. People work hard all year to send in their taxes on April 15, and they shouldn't have their money going to something that is morally objectionable to them that takes away human life. There are many, many areas of this budget that we need to rein in, but this is noncontroversial. This is something that over 60 percent of the American people say, I don't want my tax dollars going to pay for abortions, the taking of a human innocent life. So it is time to make this permanent so that we don't have to, as a Congress, come in every year and discuss these issues on all the different legislation that is out there. Now is the time to make this permanent. Get it off the table so we can get on to other areas of reining in the runaway spending, making government more efficient and more effective, using our tax dollars more wisely. And certainly it is not an affront to women's health. Women have the opportunity to get the health care that they need now, but we don't need to be using it to take innocent human life. I certainly applaud this bill, which has so many cosponsors. We need to make sure that our tax dollars are not used for abortion.

Mrs. HARTZLER

Mrs. HARTZLER. Madam Speaker, I rise today on behalf of men and women in uniform who won't get paid if Senator Harry Reid continues to refuse to pass the continuing resolution and shuts down the government later this week. They deserve better. We have warriors fighting on our behalf in two theatres, bravely standing strong for our ideals of freedom and liberty. Meanwhile at home, their families are sacrificing too. Spouses are bravely running the household and being both mom and dad to their children. While they are fighting for us, the Senate and the President are AWOL, doing nothing to make sure our soldiers are getting paid, even as the President takes us into a third war. In fact, they're actively promoting a shutdown because they believe it will benefit them politically. I say, shame on them. The House has proposed a CR which funds the Defense Department for the rest of the year, ensuring our men and women in uniform and their families receive their well-deserved paychecks and our country is defended. We need to pass this bill and move forward and stop playing politics. Our military deserves nothing less.

Mrs. HARTZLER

Mrs. HARTZLER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the eightieth birthday of a distinguished member of Missouri's 4th Congressional District, Mrs. Margaret Ann Russell. Mrs. Russell, of Lebanon, Missouri, will celebrate her birthday March 22nd surrounded by family and friends; I join them in commending her role as a faithful family servant and community pillar. Born on March 22, 1931 to George T. and Vesta Carr, Margaret grew up rooted in the values of rural America. She graduated from Lebanon High School in Lebanon, Missouri, and went on to attend the historic Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri, an institution dedicated since 1833 to the education and cultivation of female leaders. Mrs. Russell married John T. Russell, also of Lebanon, Missouri, who served in the Missouri House of Representatives and the Missouri Senate for almost forty years. She labored diligently to raise their three children Doug, Jeanette, and Melissa. John, Jason, Jordan, Jimmy, Nicole, Makenzie, and Audrey have been blessed to know her as their grandmother; now, Harper and Drew have the special privilege of knowing her as their great grandmother. While prioritizing her family, Mrs. Russell has long been involved in public service as well. She is an active part of the First Baptist Church of Lebanon. She also has encouraged local candidates to pursue public office, has given insight to community leaders, and has worked to strengthen her hometown. Recognizing the key role private citizens can play in protecting children, she consistently supports the Missouri Baptist Children's Home. I applaud Mrs. Russell for her quiet service in support of family and a vibrant local community. The diligent attention she has given to civil society should inspire us all. It is with sincere admiration that I wish her a very happy birthday on this milestone occasion.