Darrell Issa

Mr. ISSA

Mr. ISSA. Mr. Speaker, point of inquiry. Did I just hear an allegation of a threat? Would that be a threat against an action on Members of Congress? Is that in fact an allegation that we should consider at this time, since that's what I think I heard, that Members were being threatened?

Mr. ISSA. Mr. Speaker, I yield 45 seconds to the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Sensenbrenner).

Mr. ISSA. Mr. Speaker, can I inquire as to how much time each side has remaining?

Mr. ISSA. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. ISSA. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith).

Mr. ISSA. Further parliamentary inquiry. If you recall, Mr. Speaker, I yielded 15 seconds and then an additional 10 seconds, and the gentlelady from New York repeated that she could not hear the question. In fairness to the tally of the time, how can that time run when she could not hear? And wouldn't we be entitled to at least the time lost in debate because the House was not in order and she could not hear?

Mr. ISSA. Under the rules of the House, if the House is not in order, as it was not when the gentlelady from New York said she could not hear the question, wouldn't the time not tally until the House is in order, thus allowing for her to get the question and be able to answer, something that we were denied, even though we gave 25 seconds for that process?

Mr. ISSA. I would yield the gentleman an additional 10 seconds.

Mr. ISSA. Mr. Speaker, I rise to a point of order.

Mr. ISSA. Mr. Speaker, I make a point of order against consideration of the resolution. The resolution violates clause 9 of rule XXI by waiving that rule against consideration of H.R. 4872.

Mr. ISSA. Mr. Speaker, my point of order is quite simple. In the last 2 weeks, both the House Republicans and the House Democrats have passed sweeping anti-earmark resolutions. Moreover, the leadership of the House has said that they will ensure that earmarks are in the past. But, Mr. Speaker, this legislation is filled with earmarks, not the least of which is the Louisiana purchase, not the least of which is the Bismark provision. Mr. Speaker, the amount of earmarks violating both Republican and Democratic House rules against earmarks is beyond the counting of any of us. My point of order is intended to stop the bill until earmarks can be removed from the bill. I might note, Mr. Speaker, last night until late at night, for more than 13 hours, Republicans offered 80 amendments, many of which could have fixed portions of this bill. None--I repeat, Mr. Speaker, none-- were ruled in order. Mr. Speaker, I make a point of order that an earmark is tantamount to a bribe. An earmark to receive a vote is clearly a way to get a vote in return for something of value. Mr. Speaker, this legislation is a vast tax increase and a vast increase in the reach of government. It deserves to be considered on its merits, not based on promises and bribes for financial gain to various Members' districts. Therefore, it is clear we must remove all earmarks before this legislation can move forward. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. ISSA. Mr. Speaker, I am flabbergasted. Perhaps the gentlelady from New York could tell me, does that mean that under the rule that the Louisiana purchase, the Cornhusker kickback, the Gator aid, and the Bismark bank job will be somehow removed from the legislation after its passage?

Mr. ISSA. Reclaiming my time, I'm going to simply state for the record that our reading is that all of these will go to the President in the bill. And, of course, if by some miracle a bribe for one becomes a bribe for many States, somehow I don't think the American people will find that particularly a happy day for anyone, except perhaps the few States who receive for a short time a special consideration. With that, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Flake).

Mr. ISSA. Mr. Speaker, I would like to yield 45 seconds to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Poe).

Mr. ISSA. Mr. Speaker, the ranking member needs 15 seconds to enter into a colloquy. I would yield the gentleman from California 15 seconds for a question.

Mr. ISSA. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to this flawed health care bill.

Mr. ISSA. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. ISSA. Mr. Speaker, a parliamentary inquiry.

Mr. ISSA. Mr. Speaker, I regret that I have but 15 more seconds to give to my colleague.

Mr. ISSA. Mr. Speaker, at this time I would like to yield 30 seconds to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Kingston) to give his view of the Louisiana kickback and purchase.

Mr. ISSA

Mr. ISSA. Madam Speaker, after so many on both sides of the aisle have spoken, it is perhaps hard to find something new to talk about. I will endeavor to do so. Madam Speaker, President Obama has said the American people deserve the same high quality health care as Members of Congress have. Michelle Obama said the same thing. Speaker Pelosi said the same thing. Harry Reid said the same thing. As a matter of fact, virtually everybody in the Democratic caucus in leadership has said that. Then why is it H.R. 3438, a simple, seven-page bill that gives every member of America the opportunity to have the same high quality health care that we have as Congress is being ignored? Why is it it doesn't even exist in the Democrats' comprehensive health care bill? Thousands of pages, and yet it doesn't give you exactly what they say they want to give you. On top of that, who is beholden to the insurance companies? More than 50 percent of American dollars are insured by the Federal Government already. It is Medicare. It is Medicaid that have, in many cases, been driving up the cost of health care, and yet this bill has no real reform for Federal health care.

Mr. ISSA

Mr. ISSA. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a constituent whose efforts have touched thousands of Americans over the last seven decades. Mr. Alex Kapitanski, more commonly known as ``The Flag Man,'' recently passed away on February 17, 2010. Mr. Kapitanski holds a great legacy not only in my district of California, but across the United States. A fixture at civic events, Mr. Kapitanski embodied love of country with his passion in providing American and state flags for display at thousands of events from school graduations, to parades, to countless military services. A resident of Oceanside since 1950, Mr. Kapitanski once estimated that he provided flags to more than 37,000 events and hung more than 3.5 million flags. He once said, ``I'll probably die with a flag in my hand.'' His unwavering patriotism and commitment to his purpose has been recognized by presidents, generals and even Pope John Paul II. Just recently, Mr. Kapitanski, was honored in a special Presidents Day salute at the Oceanside Public Library and presented a proclamation from Oceanside Mayor Jim Wood with a film tribute and of course, plenty of flags on display. Born on March 23, 1923, in West Rutland, Vermont, Mr. Kapitanski carried the spirit of the American flag from his early youth. His inspiration to begin collecting flags came from watching the superior conduct and community involvement of the legionnaires. At age 11, he hung his first flags by decorating the American Legion Post in his home town. Mr. Kapitanski loved his country and served it with distinction at many levels. As a combat photographer during World War II, his primary mission was to go behind enemy lines to photograph enemy positions and gun emplacements. The military newspaper ``Stars & Stripes'' once featured a photo of him bringing in a German soldier he had captured behind the lines while photographing a position in Normandy. The photo was sent by wire service to nearly every newspaper in the United States and beyond. During this time, Mr. Kapitanski received numerous commendations and awards for his heroism including a Silver Star from General Dwight D. Eisenhower and a Bronze Star from General Courtney H. Hodges. With a passion to teach the meaning and significance of our nation's flags to area youth, Mr. Kapitanski's work truly came from the heart. Although he is no longer with us, his spirit will live on in the youth he determinedly sought to inspire. In a 2007 interview he said, ``My goal is to motivate the younger generation to preserve our freedom.'' He will certainly be remembered for his devotion to his work, his strength of character, and his steadfast efforts to pass on his love of country and patriotism to upcoming generations. Our thoughts and prayers continue to go to the Kapitanski family who will take up their father's cause to honor his memory. He is survived by four sons, Alex of Carlsbad, and Edwin, Albert and Allen of Oceanside; a daughter, Emilyann Ransom of Oceanside, and eight grandchildren. Madam Speaker, I ask that my colleagues please join me in paying tribute to the Flag Man, Mr. Alex Kapitanski, who will surely live as a symbol of the great work that can be done when we strive to achieve. He will be dearly missed by his family, friends, and the many Americans he inspired over his long and rich life.

Mr. ISSA

Mr. ISSA. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Mr. Tibor ``Ted'' Rubin, a prominent U.S. Army Veteran and POW during the Korean War whose selfless and heroic actions earned him the Medal of Honor. Madame Speaker, I would like to extend my deepest appreciation to Mr. Rubin and share his story which serves as an inspiration to all Americans. Having been born in Hungary in 1929, at age 15 Mr. Rubin was sent to Mauthausen concentration camp in Austria where he survived the next 14 brutal months of captivity. Tragically, his father perished in Buchenwald while his mother and sisters faced the gas chambers at Auschwitz. When Mauthausen was liberated by the U.S. Army in 1945, Mr. Rubin immigrated to the United States with a vow to show his appreciation to the country that gave him his freedom, and saved his life. Mr. Rubin joined the army in 1950 and served as a rifleman with I Company, Eighth Regiment, First Cavalry Division, fighting in the Republic of Korea. Once there, Mr. Rubin hit the ground running and it wasn't long before he was recognized for his bravery and readiness to accept the most dangerous of missions. In one such mission, Rubin secured a route of retreat for his company by single-handedly defending a hill for 24 hours against waves of North Korean soldiers. In November of 1950, after sustaining shrapnel wounds from a grenade, Mr. Rubin and others in his company were captured by the Chinese, who were fighting with the Korean Communist government. Despite the extreme conditions of low temperatures, shortages of food and medicine, all in the face of capture, this is where Rubin's selfless heroism truly shined. Mr. Rubin continually risked his life as he snuck out nightly to forage food for his fellow prisoners, especially the sick and dying. His fellow prisoners credit him with saving 35 to 40 lives by this brave and daring endeavor. Mr. Rubin spent a total of two and a half years in the North Korean prisoner of war camp. Yet in the face of these unthinkable circumstances, Mr. Rubin distinguished himself by extraordinary heroism time and again. His harrowing acts of bravery and extraordinary devotion to his brothers in arms resulted in numerous recommendations from his Commanders for the Medal of Honor, among other prestigious awards. Regrettably, Mr. Rubin's deserved recognition was met with unwarranted obstruction due to his religious beliefs. After more than 50 years of waiting, Mr. Rubin was finally given the acknowledgment he rightfully deserved. On September 23, 2005, President Bush awarded Mr. Rubin with the Medal of Honor--the highest military decoration awarded by the United States Government--for his many acts of valor throughout the Korean War. Even to this day, at the age of 81, Mr. Rubin continues to inspire fellow veterans and service members as an active keynote speaker for military and Jewish communities across the United States. Most recently he has spoken to troops at Fort Hood, First Calvary, the California state military reserve, as well as to the 100 new soldiers enlisting in the five branches of the military service in Century City, California. In May of this year he will be speaking to the Army National Guard in Mississippi. There is no question that Mr. Rubin has an unshakeable love for his adopted homeland of America. We are truly grateful for his demonstrated courage, compassion, and selfless military service. Madam Speaker, I ask you to please join me in honoring all those brave men and women who have served in the United States Armed Forces, and the valiant service of Mr. Tibor Rubin.

Mr. ISSA

Mr. ISSA. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a special couple from Mendota, Illinois, Lester and Mary Rita Sondgeroth, on the celebration of their sixty-seventh wedding anniversary. The love and dedication required through 67 years of marriage is a shining example of what a bond as strong as theirs can achieve, and I commend them on all those special years together. This is truly a significant milestone and one that only a very few are fortunate enough to celebrate in their lifetime. Lester and Mary Rita Sondgeroth were united in marriage on February 10, 1943 at the Holy Cross Church in Mendota where the couple has made their home to this day. Throughout the years, the Sondgeroths were blessed with five children--the late Dean Sondgeroth, the late Dianna Neisess, Debra Peters, Dru Sondgeroth, and Denise Burnette. They now have the pleasure of spending time with their five grandchildren--Scott Peters, Adam Peters, Brandon Burnette, Austin Burnette, and lastly Ryan Peters who I am proud to say is an outstanding member of my District Office staff in Vista, California. A 67th wedding anniversary reminds us that marriage is not an instant achievement but a covenant that requires love, patience, and respect. Lester and Mary Rita Sondgeroth have perfected this commitment to each other and are truly blessed to have a strong marriage, their family, and a lifetime of memories. As they live each day by their wedding vows, they continue to inspire all who are fortunate to know them. Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating Lester and Mary Rita Sondgeroth on this momentous occasion and sending our best wishes for many more years of love and happiness.

Mr. ISSA

Mr. ISSA. Madam Speaker, earlier this year, I introduced H.R. 2392, the ``Government Information Transparency Act,'' to make federal reporting of taxpayer dollars more accessible to the American people. In Committee, Chairman Edolphus Towns and I were able to work on a bipartisan basis to get key provisions of this legislation into S. 303, which is now under consideration by the House. The Government Information Transparency Act instructs the Office of Management and Budget to designate a single data standard for the collection, analysis, and dissemination of business and financial information required to be reported to the federal government. The federal government mandates disclosure of large amounts of information: financial filings by public companies, call reports by financial institutions, various disclosures by federal contractors, reports by recipients of taxpayer-funded grant money, and the list goes on. Too often, these disclosures are in formats that don't permit electronic searches and comparisons. Some disclosures, in fact, are still made using paper. Moreover, the formats vary from agency to agency, and even within agencies. Unwieldy and incompatible data formats make reported information much less useful than it could be. Even worse, it creates complex and overlapping layers of reporting that serve as the breeding ground for wasteful government. Information reported to the federal government needs to become both fully searchable and fully standardized. Modern information technology can bridge these two gaps. An interactive data standard that relies on electronic tags to individually identify each element of information can render every piece of data separately readable by software. This interactivity allows the creation of databases that are far more useful than sequential, plain-text financial reports. And if the same standard were applied to every federal agency's disclosure programs--securities, banking, grants, contracts, and so on--unprecedented searches and comparisons would become possible. So, the Government Information Transparency Act requires the OMB to set up a single interactive data standard for reported information--a standardized, universal, and machine-readable format that will be made available to the general public. The use of a single data standard will still allow agencies to be flexible in how they require information to be submitted. Sophisticated companies might be asked to submit large data files; small companies and nonprofits could fill in Web-based forms that would automatically encode each element on their reports. The result: every report would be computer-readable, and the underlying data could be more easily extracted, searched, and analyzed. Financial and business information in a uniform format will be more transparent, and thus more accessible for public critique. Fraudulent transactions and irresponsible risk-taking can be more easily detected, search costs are reduced, and companies will be put under greater pressure to explain the underpinnings of the financial statements they release. Instead of assigning an immense oversight responsibility to a handful of federal employees, we can now enable the public to act as citizen-regulators. And because information reported to different agencies will become compatible, investors, watchdog groups, and analysts will have powerful new searches at their disposal. The Government Information Transparency Act also requires a single data standard for federal financial information, to bring the same interactivity and compatibility to the disclosures put out by federal agencies. By making this kind of information more accessible to the general public, we are unleashing the very best government watchdogs-- the American people themselves--to expose waste, fraud, and abuse of their tax dollars. For business and financial information, the sunlight of transparency has always been the best disinfectant. Our Government Information Transparency Act, added to S. 303, will make that sunlight brighter and clearer than ever.