Walter Jones

Mr. JONES

Mr. JONES. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. JONES. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from New Mexico (Mr. Redmond).

Mr. JONES. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 434, introduced by former Congressman Bill Richardson, the current Ambassador to the United Nations, would revise a land conveyance from the Forest Service to Jemez Springs, New Mexico. I support the desire of the gentleman from New Mexico (Mr. Redmond) to see that Jemez Springs attains one acre of land within the town in order to construct a fire substation. It is my understanding that in 1993 the Jemez National Recreation Area was carved out of the Santa Fe National Forest. This transformed Jemez Springs from an obscure little village located in the Santa Fe National Forest to a little community hosting over 1 million visitors annually. I applaud Jemez Springs for cooperating and assisting the Forest Service in answering the numerous fire calls throughout the area. Without much imagination my colleagues can see how such increased activities would cause significant problems for any community. The Senate amended and passed H.R. 434 by unanimous consent. I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 434. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. JONES. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. (Mr. JONES asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. JONES. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and concur in the Senate amendment to the bill (H.R. 434) to provide for the conveyance of small parcels of land in the Carson National Forest and the Santa Fe National Forest, New Mexico, to the village of El Rito and the town of Jemez Springs, New Mexico.

Mr. JONES

Mr. JONES. Mr. Speaker, I have no requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. JONES. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 3047 is a bill introduced by the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Bonilla). The gentleman from Texas has worked hard on this bill which addresses an important historical site in Texas. H.R. 3047 would authorize the expansion of Fort Davis National Historic Site by 16 acres by increasing the ``not to exceed'' acreage clause in the current enabling legislation which prevents the historical site from expanding. The acreage to be acquired is needed to protect the site's historic setting and viewshed. Of particular note, no federally appropriated funds are requested for this land acquisition. I strongly urge my colleagues to support passage of H.R. 3047. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. JONES. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3047) to authorize expansion of Fort Davis National Historic Site in Fort Davis, Texas, by 16 acres.

Mr. JONES. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. (Mr. JONES asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. JONES

Mr. JONES. Mr. Speaker, I would like to first thank my colleagues and staff in the House, the Senate, and the White House for helping secure passage of this important legislation. The Shackleford Banks Wild Horse Protection Act requires the National Park Service to work in alliance with a nonprofit entity to maintain a herd of no less than 100 horses, a number consistent with the number of horses on the island when the Park Service assumed ownership. H.R. 765 is needed to preserve this historically rich herd of wild horses. It was my intent and the Committee on Resources' intent to designate the Foundation for Shackleford Banks as the nonprofit agency to work with the Park Service. The Senate concurred by passing its version, also. Throughout the process, the foundation was listed in the legislation further indicating Congress' intent. I am confident that the foundation, as listed in the legislation, and the Park Service will develop a long-range management plan for the horses. Again, I would like to thank my colleagues and ask for their support for H.R. 765. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. JONES. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. (Mr. JONES asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. JONES. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and concur in the Senate amendment to the bill (H.R. 765) to ensure maintenance of a herd of wild horses in Cape Lookout National Seashore.

Mr. JONES

Mr. JONES. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. JONES. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1728 is a bill introduced by the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Hefley). The gentleman from Colorado is to be commended for the hard work he has done to craft a bill that addresses needed changes in current law dealing with how new units are added to the National Park System. H.R. 1728 provides for the development of a plan and a management review of the National Park System to reform the current process by which areas are considered for addition to the National Park System. The bill would assist the National Park Service in planning for the future of the National Park System and provide a structured process to ensure that the Congress considers only the most worthy nationally important sites for inclusion in any expansion of the National Park System. Mr. Speaker, this is an important bill, and H.R. 1728 provides a better way to include worthy areas into the park system. I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 1728. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. JONES. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1728) to provide for the development of a plan and a management review of the National Park System and to reform the process by which areas are considered for addition to the National Park System, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. JONES. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. (Mr. JONES asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. JONES

Mr. JONES. Mr. Speaker, the Pentagon is considering a plan for our elite Special Forces to train Chinese PLA troops. Recently the House debated a resolution to express the dissent of this Congress to extend normal trading, or formally known as Most Favored Nation status to the People's Republic of China. Myself and many of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle agree that extending this economic advantage to a Communist Nation is more than just an issue of trade. As Americans, we live free. Free from oppressive government and free to enjoy the rights and liberties awarded by our Constitution. Chinese citizens are not so fortunate. They suffer horrible violations of their basic human rights on a daily basis, and those who seek their fundamental rights or seek democracy are jailed, tortured and too often killed. The State Department's Human Rights Report for China states that in 1996, all public dissent against the party and the government was effectively silenced by intimidation, exile, incarceration, administration detention, or house arrest. By year's end, all dissidents have effectively been silenced by the government, and those released from prison were often prevented from seeking employment or resuming any semblance of a normal life. Freedom of religion is a freedom Americans take for granted every day. In China, the harassment and incarceration of religious leaders and the forcible closure and destruction of places of worship is all too common when the faith and church are not government-sanctioned. The government of the People's Republic of China has arrested, tortured and detained hundreds, if not thousands, of Protestants, Roman Catholics and Buddhists for practicing their religious beliefs. As a man of strong religious convictions, I find this appalling. However, the Chinese government does not even stop there. It maintains a policy of forced abortion and sterilization. Not only does it silence its citizens, it silences innocent life. In the last 50 years alone, 10 times the number of people killed during the Holocaust have been killed in China. Let me repeat that, Mr. Speaker. Ten times the number of people killed during the Holocaust have been killed in China since 1949. Mr. Speaker, does Congress need any more evidence to realize that we cannot trust the Chinese government? The United States has tried to build a relationship with China, but to no avail. We give China an inch, and China takes a mile. In 1995 we extended Most Favored Nation status to China if it would agree to stop its abusive human rights practices and stop exporting nuclear weapons. China failed on the first account, Mr. Speaker, and it failed on the second account as well. In January of this year, President Clinton told this Congress that China had assured him it was not participating in the sale of nuclear technology. Less than a month later, China was found planning to sell chemical weaponry to Iran. In fact, just last year, the CIA reported that in 1996, China was the greatest supplier of weapons-of-mass- destruction related goods and technology to foreign countries. Not only has China failed to comply with our terms of agreement, but it poses a significant threat to our Nation's security. Former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld reported that it is China's proliferation of ballistic missiles, weapons of mass destruction, and enabling technologies that has threatened the security of the United States. The CIA reported this year that 13 of 18 Chinese CSS-4 missiles are targeted at United States cities. The Air Force's National Air Intelligence Center reports that the Chinese government is developing a new ICBM with the capability of hitting targets throughout the western United States running southwest from Wisconsin through California. And China took advantage of having President Clinton in Beijing to test a component of its new missile. Mr. Speaker, what a blatant indication of China's lack of respect for our country. And yet, because our administration wants access to China's military secrets and training practices, it is willing to engage in cooperative military training with the hope of establishing a mutual relationship of trust and confidence. That is right. Despite the threat China poses to the security of the United States of America, we are allowing our elite Special Forces, the best in the world, to train and share military technology and training with a Communist Nation. If the past is any indication, we have no reason to trust China. This proposal is far too great of a risk for our men and women in uniform to assume when the security of the American people is at stake. Mr. Speaker, may God bless America.

Mr. JONES

Mr. JONES. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the Senate amendment to H.R. 765.

Mr. JONES

Mr. JONES. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 1728, the bill just passed.

Mr. JONES

Mr. JONES. Madam Speaker, recently President Clinton vetoed the Education Savings Account Bill. In a letter to the House, he justified his action by calling the bill's provisions ``bad education policy and bad tax policy.'' Madam Speaker, how ironic. Americans have made it clear that parental involvement is essential to ensure our children receive a good education. Yet our President just vetoed a bill that would have extended tax relief to families who take part in the education of our Nation's children. The Education Savings Account Bill would have offered parents the opportunity to save money in accounts that earn tax-free interest to pay for tuition, books and tools to help their children learn. It seems to me, by the President's veto, that he thinks parents and families do not deserve the right to take part in the education of their children. Madam Speaker, the President is wrong. Only when we allow parental involvement can we ensure a good education is within the reach of every child in America.

Mr. JONES

Mr. JONES. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for this opportunity to discuss the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse which is owned and operated by the National Park Service. The lighthouse, the tallest in the world, is located along the Outer Banks of North Carolina, which is a beautiful part of my district. The lighthouse is being threatened by the ocean and beach erosion. Two proposals are currently being debated on how best to save this historical structure. Either relocate the lighthouse inland or to stabilize the lighthouse where it is by building an additional groin to complement the three that are already in place. As we have both mentioned in previous conversations, the moving of the lighthouse would change the character and the historical importance of this structure. At this time, I am curious if the subcommittee has taken a stance on how best to save the lighthouse.

Mr. JONES. Mr. Chairman, I appreciate the gentleman's commitment and look forward to working with him during this process.

Mr. JONES. Mr. Chairman, as the gentleman from Ohio knows, the Senate Interior appropriations bill provides $9.8 million for the relocation of the lighthouse. However, the House bill does not address the issue. When the Interior conference convenes, does the gentleman intend to accept the Senate position or choose an alternative?

Mr. JONES

Mr. JONES. Mr. Speaker, my constituents in the third district of North Carolina have expressed their appreciation for this Congress for passing the Internal Revenue Service Restructuring and Reform bill, which awaits the President's signature. This is an opportunity for President Clinton to sign into law legislation that protects American taxpayers from IRS abuse and prove to the American people that he is willing to work with this Congress to provide substantial tax reform for all Americans. The IRS Reform bill is long overdue legislation that would shift the burden of proof from the hard-working American taxpayer back to the IRS where it belongs. In addition, taxpayers will receive 74 new rights and protections that will help reduce the power of the Internal Revenue Service and bring fairness to a corrupt system. I urge the President to sign the IRS Reform bill and to work with the 105th Congress to continue providing hard-working Americans with a tax relief they need and rightly deserve.

Mr. JONES

Mr. JONES. Mr. Speaker, I have three military bases in my district in eastern North Carolina: Camp LeJeune Marine Base, Cherry Point Marine Air Station, and Seymour Johnson Air Force Base. Perhaps that is why I continue to join many of my colleagues who come to the floor on a regular basis to talk about the current deplorable state of our military. I hope my colleagues and I do not speak in vain, but rather that the President and his advisers will heed the concerns of the Congress and the American people, and make sure our military is adequately prepared to defend the freedoms of this great Nation. Mr. Speaker, when I returned home over the Fourth of July break, and each time I go home, I am reminded of how we take our Nation's military for granted. Many times when traveling in my district I have had the honor of meeting and talking with the men and women who currently and courageously serve our Nation, as well as some of the 77,000 retired military in the Third District of North Carolina. These are the brave men and women who, serving now or in the past, dedicated their lives to preserving peace for all America. Yet, despite the enormous responsibility they have to protect our Nation's security, they are faced with drastic cuts in defense spending, and struggle every day to do more with less. Mr. Speaker, the reality of these cuts is frightening. Our U.S. forces are 32 percent lower than 10 years ago. In 1992, when President Clinton took office, we had 18 army divisions. Now we have 10. In 1992 we had 24 fighter wings. We now have 13. In 1992 we had 546 Navy ships. Now we have just over 300. Mr. Speaker, I am noticing an alarming trend. Perhaps this administration does not realize that cutting back on the Nation's defense capabilities threatens our ability to protect our Nation. The men and women who serve this country cannot do the job without adequate resources and without adequate forces. It is time for the administration to make national security a priority. We cannot continue to sit idly by and allow the American people to rest in a false sense of security. The truth is, while the threat to our Nation's security grows, our military forces continue to decline. As a Member of Congress, and like so many American citizens, I am concerned about the fact that the United States does not have a capable missile defense system, and quite frankly, America is neither prepared nor equipped to handle the threat of a ballistic missile attack. A bipartisan commission recently issued a report confirming that a ballistic missile threat to the United States is greater than we imagine, and perhaps, even worse, that threat is growing. The report says that we have failed to understand the degree to which our Nation's security is threatened, but the threat is real. Mr. Speaker, if there was an accident today and a Nation mistakenly launched a ballistic missile at the United States, we would have 15 minutes to act. But whether we had 15 minutes or 15 days, the issue is not time, the issue is that the United States does not have a capable missile defense system. We do not have an adequate system because we do not have the funding. Just 2 months ago the House passed the defense authorization bill for fiscal year 1999. The administration's request for the defense budget request this year represents the 14th consecutive year of real decline in defense spending. I want to repeat that, Mr. Speaker. The administration's request for the defense budget request this year represents the 14th consecutive year of real decline in defense spending. In fact, the defense budget request is the lowest real level of U.S. defense spending since before the Korean War. This trend cannot continue. Mr. Speaker, the Cold War is over, but the threat to our Nation's security is ever present. Despite what the commission reports as a very real and growing threat, defense has been cut nearly in half under the Clinton administration alone. We cannot continue to stand by and let the American people assume our military has the necessary means to defend the freedoms of this Nation. I urge my colleagues to call upon the administration to take responsibility for our Nation's decline in defense, and work with Congress to restore a military force that is capable and ready. We owe it to the American public and we owe it to ourselves. Most importantly, our Nation's security depends on it. May God bless America.