Jim Jordan

Mr. JORDAN of Ohio

Mr. JORDAN of Ohio. Mr. Chairman, I would yield 2 minutes to my friend and colleague from Texas, Congressman Gohmert.

Mr. JORDAN of Ohio. Mr. Chairman, I continue to reserve.

Mr. JORDAN of Ohio. I yield the gentleman an additional minute.

Mr. JORDAN of Ohio. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to our distinguished colleague from California (Mr. Daniel E. Lungren).

Mr. JORDAN of Ohio. I yield 2 minutes to a colleague and friend from Iowa, Congressman King.

Mr. JORDAN of Ohio. Mr. Chairman, there is nothing in this bill that requires borrowers to attempt to work out a loan modification prior to filing for bankruptcy. There is nothing in this bill that will limit bankruptcy relief to only those borrowers that are in danger to losing their homes because they have a subprime or nontraditional loan. In fact, I offered this very amendment to limit the scope of the provision in committee, same amendment that was actually the bill that came out of committee last session. Unfortunately, that was defeated. There is nothing in this bill that addresses the moral hazard the bankruptcy provisions will create by incentivizing homeowners to file for bankruptcy so they can cram down their principal and receive a windfall when housing prices rise in the future. And there is nothing in this bill that will place a sunset on the bankruptcy provisions so that this relief is limited to the current crisis. Americans want solutions to this crisis that do not abandon accountability and that do not reward those who acted irresponsibly. But think about this: 94 percent of mortgages are being paid on time. It is wrong to tell those individuals they are now going to have to in some way compensate or not be able to get credit in the future to accommodate those individuals, that 6 percent, who have behaved in an irresponsible fashion. Bankruptcy cramdown is not such a solution. It absolves lenders and borrowers of the responsibility, passing that responsibility off on the taxpayers, those who borrowed responsibly, and those who will seek to borrow responsibly in the future. I urge my colleagues to vote against this bill. I yield back the remainder of our time.

Mr. JORDAN of Ohio. I will be closing.

Mr. JORDAN of Ohio. I yield an additional minute to the gentleman.

Mr. JORDAN of Ohio

Mr. JORDAN of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. JORDAN of Ohio

Mr. JORDAN of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I am honored to speak today in support of H. Res. 83, which has been sponsored by my distinguished colleague from Texas, Mr. Al Green, to recognize Black History Month. Each February during Black History Month, we express our appreciation for the determination and perseverance of the African American community, as well as remember the struggles they have endured. This resolution is a fitting tribute as we just last month celebrated both the life of the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., and the historic inauguration of the first African American President of the United States, Barack Obama. This resolution seeks to do several things. First, it memorializes the great costs African Americans have paid for injustices of the past and present. The Civil Rights Movement and the events that led up to it were a pivotal point in our history. Martin Luther King, Jr., led the charge to right the wrongs of discrimination and strove to create a nation where all men and women are truly equal. This resolution also seeks to honor the many contributions African Americans have made to all facets of our lives. We recognize scientists, such as George Washington Carver, who have changed our daily lives; politicians, religious figures, and activists who have helped shape our Nation, and the artists, entertainers, and sports heroes who continue to make our daily lives more enjoyable. The collective contributions of the African American community has touched every one of our lives in a positive way. I reserve the balance of our time.

Mr. JORDAN of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, before urging passage of the resolution, let me just say I think it's a testimony of the greatness of this country that both the two major political parties today have an African American as their leader, with both Michael Steele, and of course our President, Barack Obama. I urge the passage of this important resolution, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. JORDAN of Ohio

Mr. JORDAN of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I urge support for H. Res. 18. I yield back the balance of our time.

Mr. JORDAN of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I will continue to reserve.

Mr. JORDAN of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I will continue to reserve.

Mr. JORDAN of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak in favor of H. Res. 18. It is my pleasure to stand here and recognize a fellow Ohioan for his great years of service. The world lost one of its greatest actors, film directors, entrepreneurs, and humanitarians last September when Paul Leonard Newman lost his battle with lung cancer at the age of 83--the legendary actor, whose steely blue eyes, good humor and passion for helping the less fortunate made him one of the most prominent figures in the American arts for over 50 years. Paul Newman was born on January 26, 1925 in Shaker Heights, Ohio. His father owned a sporting goods store, but Mr. Newman was more interested in following his mother's and uncle's interest in the arts, and he started acting in grade school. After less than a year at Ohio University in Athens, he joined the Navy, and served for 3 years during World War II. After the war, he attended Kenyon College on an athletic scholarship where he played football and acted in numerous plays before graduating in 1949. Mr. Newman later studied drama at Yale University, and soon thereafter, he made his first debut on Broadway in the play ``Picnic.'' A year later, in 1954, he starred in his first Hollywood film, ``The Silver Chalice,'' a flop that he good-naturedly laughed at for the rest of his life. Although his first film was a failure in his eyes, the 1956 movie ``Somebody Up There Likes Me'' made him a star, and more hits followed: ``The Long, Hot Summer'' opposite his soon-to-be-wife, Joanne Woodward, ``Cat on a Hot Tin Roof'' and ``The Young Philadelphians.'' All of these film classics have withstood the test of time for movie enthusiasts. Mr. Newman was one of the few actors who successfully made a transition from 1950s cinema to the new film eras of the 1960s and 1970s. He began the decade with ``Exodus,'' ``The Hustler,'' ``Sweet Bird of Youth,'' ``Hud,'' ``Harper and Hombre,'' and many more. In 1968, he turned to directing, earning enthusiastic reviews for his work on ``Rachel, Rachel,'' starring his wife. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Mr. Newman played an integral part in the creation of the highest grossing films of their time--``Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid'' and ``The Sting''--winning many awards, including best picture for the latter. However, the movies and occasional stage roles were never enough. In the 1970s, he turned to race car driving, an obsession he picked up in midlife after he was cast as a race car driver in the film ``Winning.'' His first race was in 1972, and his first professional victory was in 1982. He was a co-owner of the Newman/Haas Indy racing team, and at the age of 70, he participated in the 24 Hours of Daytona. He was still racing at the age of 80. In 1982, as a joke, he decided to sell the salad dressing he created and bottled for friends and family at Christmas. Thus was born the food marketing phenomenon known as ``Newman's Own'' products. More than 25 years later, the brand has expanded to include other foods, ranging from popcorn to spaghetti sauce to wine. All of its profits, more than $200 million, have been donated to charity. Much of the money was used to create a number of Hole in the Wall Gang Camps named after the outlaw gang in ``Butch Cassidy.'' The eleven summer camps, located all over the world, provide free recreation for gravely ill children. His humanitarian efforts also reach to those with alcohol and drug addiction at the Scott Newman Center, which is in honor of his first born and only son, who died in 1978 at the age of 28 because of a drug and alcohol overdose. It is run by the oldest of his five daughters, Susan Newman, and its mission is to publicize the danger of drugs and alcohol. Finally, 25 years after ``The Hustler'' and seven Academy Award nominations, Mr. Newman won an Oscar in 1986 for his role in ``The Color of Money.'' He continued to act, charming many with his role in ``Road to Perdition'' at the age of 77. He finally retired in 2007, saying he had lost his confidence and abilities. The world will mourn Paul Newman--the actor, race car driver and renowned philanthropist--and those blue eyes that mesmerized the public will live on in his wonderful films for generations to come. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. JORDAN of Ohio

Mr. JORDAN of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to support the passage of S. 234, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. JORDAN of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise today in support of this bill to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 2105 East Cook Street in Springfield, Illinois, as the ``Colonel John H. Wilson, Jr. Post Office Building.'' Born on December 18, 1918, in Springfield, Illinois, Colonel Wilson was a true American hero and a pioneer who fought bravely under General George Patton in France during World War II. For his bravery during the war, he was awarded the Silver Star. An outstanding U.S. Postal Service employee in Springfield for 57 years, Wilson became the first African American Reservist from Illinois to achieve the rank of colonel. Wilson retired from the military in 1973 as group commander of the now-deactivated Springfield-based 303rd Ordinance Ammunition Group after serving for 14 years in active duty and another 17 years in the Reserves. Sadly, on August 3, 2008, Colonel Wilson died in Springfield, Illinois, in the same Spring Street home in which he was born 89 years before. He leaves behind his wife, Lydia, and their two children. This honor is appropriate, and by placing his name on the Springfield Post Office where he served for so many years, the memory of his service to his country and community will live on. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. JORDAN of Ohio

Mr. JORDAN of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of Staff Sergeant Jason Burkholder, an American hero and a native son of Ohio's Fourth Congressional District who at the age of 27 made the ultimate sacrifice in defense of our Nation on February 8, 2009, in Afghanistan. Jason graduated from Elida High School in 2000 and joined the United States Marine Corps where he served for 4 years. In December 2004 he enlisted in the Ohio Army National Guard, with whom he served as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. He later joined the Illinois National Guard in 2008. Jason was an athlete, a leader, a trusted colleague and a loyal friend. He brought energy and excitement to the lives of others. He was a good son and a loving husband. It was a great privilege to speak with Jason's wife, Amanda, as well as his parents, Bruce and Diane. I pray that they will know the fullness of God's peace. I was moved by the outpouring of affection for Jason from his friends in Allen County, Ohio and beyond. He had a dramatic impact on the lives of many people. A marine and a soldier, he fought to promote freedom. He gave his life in defense of his family, community, State and Nation. He made our world safer. He made his family and every American proud. For this, each and every American owes him and his family a great debt of gratitude. Jason will be deeply missed, but the strength of his character and the courage he demonstrated through his service will live on.

Mr. JORDAN of Ohio

Mr. JORDAN of Ohio. Madam Speaker, it is my honor today to pay tribute to former Auglaize County Commissioner Ivo Kramer of Wapakoneta, Ohio. Ivo retired at the end of 2008 after twelve years of outstanding service to the people of Auglaize County. Ivo was first elected to the Board of Commissioners in 1997 following a distinguished 40-year career with the United States Department of Agriculture's Soil Conservation Service (later renamed the Natural Resources Conservation Service) and the Auglaize County Soil and Water Conservation District. He was recognized repeatedly for his dedicated efforts to preserve our natural resources, receiving outstanding performance awards from the SCS and The Ohio State University. Ivo's colleagues recently paid tribute to his 52 years in public service, citing his longstanding support of economic growth and responsible land use practices throughout the county. The experience and knowhow he brought to bear on issues facing Auglaize County will not soon be replaced. As is to be expected from such a dedicated public servant, Ivo looks forward to getting involved in volunteer work during his retirement. I know that his devotion to volunteerism will be an outstanding model and an inspiration to others. I am proud to join the Auglaize County Board of Commissioners and the people of Auglaize County in congratulating Ivo on his distinguished public service career. We wish Ivo and his wife of 50 years, Camille, and their entire family every success as they move to a new chapter in their lives.

Mr. JORDAN of Ohio

Mr. JORDAN of Ohio. I appreciate the gentleman yielding. My colleague said earlier that if big Federal Government spending was going to get us out of this mess it would have happened a long time ago because we've certainly been doing that. And you're exactly right. The easiest thing in the world to do for politicians, for policy-makers, for Members of Congress is to spend money. It's the easy thing to do. The tough thing to do is the discipline thing to do. I had an old coach in high school and he talked about discipline every day in practice. And his definition was this. Discipline is doing what you don't want to do when you don't want to do it. It meant doing it his way when you'd rather do it your way, but it left an impression on me. And frankly, the disciplined thing to do is to say we're going to stop this excessive spending; we're going to reduce the tax burden here so that business owners and families can have more of their money and promote economic growth and do the things that we know work in an economy. That's what we have to focus on and have the discipline to say we're not going to continue to spend and spend and spend and mortgage our kids' and grandkids' future.

Mr. JORDAN of Ohio. I appreciate the gentleman for putting this Special Order hour together. This must be the Ohio hour because I notice the last two presiding officers over the Chamber were Ohioans as well, and then of course my friend from just north of our district, Congressman Latta and his expertise in this. Think about the average family, what they saw from their government last week. I think it's an important place to start as we think about this discussion. The typical family, what did they see from their government? They saw the United States Senate confirm for Secretary of the Treasury a gentleman who didn't pay his taxes on time. Think about it, not just any Cabinet position but Secretary of the Treasury. Then they saw from the House of Representatives, the other side of Congress, they saw the House of Representatives pass a stimulus package that will not do anything to foster and promote economic growth. I mean, that's your government at work, America, certainly not where we need to be. Think about this stimulus package that we've been talking about and what it doesn't mean for promoting economic growth now and what it means, long-term implications for our kids and grandkids and the debt that it preserves. First thing is this, and my colleague, our colleague from Louisiana I think said it right. The American people get it. They have figured out that this, quote, stimulus package is not what our country needs at this particular time. They don't like the process that was used and, frankly, the lack of process, the lack of the fact that the Republicans weren't included, and they don't like the finished product, the finished product that has such things in it like $600 million for the government to buy a new fleet of automobiles. I'd much rather cut taxes so that families can use that tax money, their tax money, to purchase their own car versus giving more cars to the bureaucrats who work here in Washington. So they don't like the process. They don't like the product. And I think they also understand, which was being pointed out very well by our friend and colleague from Ohio, Congressman Latta, they understand that this spending spree that has grabbed Washington over the last several months is just wrong to do to future generations of Americans. It is wrong to saddle our kids and our grandkids with this kind of debt, the kind of debt that Congressman Latta was pointing out and I know Congressman Akin has pointed out earlier in the hour. Think about this. We're going to run a deficit this fiscal year approaching 10 percent of gross domestic product. Never in the history of this country have we run that kind of debt. You have to go back to World War II when we're fighting a world war to when it's close to 6 percent of GDP. This year it looks like it's going to be close to 10 percent of gross domestic product. They understand that's not the direction to go. They understand that what really fosters economic growth is reducing the tax burden on families, on taxpayers, on small business owners so they can keep more of their money, put it to work in the private sector, put it to work in their small business, creating jobs, protecting jobs, and promoting economic growth for the future. That's where we need to focus. Short-term, fast-acting tax relief versus big government spending. The American people understand tax relief is where we need to go. That's the alternative we've been supporting. That's the alternative we'll continue to support. And the good news is, that's what the Senate is beginning to look at. We did a press conference today with some of the Senate Republicans, and they are talking about focusing on some of the same tax cut provisions we tried to get in the bill over here on the House side.

Mr. JORDAN of Ohio

Mr. JORDAN of Ohio. I thank the gentleman for yielding, and I thank him for his many years of work on behalf of the pro-life cause and his work with the Pro-Life Caucus, in the bipartisan Pro-Life Caucus, here in Congress. I just want to say quickly three thank you's to the thousands of people who will be here tomorrow and to the millions of pro-life people across this country: Thank you for getting involved in this most important issue about the sanctity of human life. I spoke Sunday night back in our district to a banquet for a women's center in the town of Bell Fountain, Ohio, and I told them the same thing, thanking them for their effort in this cause for so many years, but also specifically I thanked them for two other things. First, I thanked them for taking the risk. There is always risk associated with stepping into public life and advocating for something so important. There is risk associated with getting off the sidelines and getting in the game to try to make a difference. We know that many times those in the press don't always give us a fair shake on this issue. I am always reminded of Cal Thomas, a guy who was pro-life and a syndicated columnist, Cal Thomas, and what he said when he was talking about how sometimes the press doesn't always give us a fair shake. And he had a great line. He said, ``I get up every morning; I read my Bible and the New York Times so I can see what each side is up to.'' And there is certainly some truth to that. We understand the risk that people take when they step forward and advocate for this, but the risk is worth taking, because this issue is so important. And the last thing I would say to, again, the thousands who are going to be here tomorrow and the millions of pro-life people across this country, for the work you have done for years to help protect human life and protect the unborn, stay positive. I see the difference you make when you get a chance to talk with the folks who have helped these women's centers across the country, these crisis pregnancy centers across the country. They are so positive, when they can help a young lady who is in this position, help her with her unborn child and help her through the whole pregnancy. Stay positive. Positive people get things done; negative people are negative. Positive people accomplish things of meaning and significance; negative people are negative. Positive people accomplish real things, and they help a lot of other people accomplish them as well. So stay positive. I will finish with this, Congressman. I am reminded of the story from Scripture we are all familiar with where the Israelites were camped against the Philistines, and every day the Philistine giant would walk out and issue the challenge: Who would fight Goliath? The Israelites' response was: He is so big, we can never defeat him. But David's response was: He is so big, I can't miss. And that is the attitude that pro-life people have had for over 30 years and that is the attitude that is ultimately going to allow us to win in this country and some day protect every single human being and make sure that unalienable right that our Founders talked about really applies to every single American.

Mr. JORDAN of Ohio

Mr. JORDAN of Ohio. Exactly. We are approaching $11 trillion of national debt. The deficit we will run up in this fiscal year and last fiscal year, the last 2 years, $2 trillion we are going to add to the national debt. That is equal to what it took us from 1789 to 1987 to accumulate. So in 2 years we have accumulated as much, added to the national debt what it took us 200 years to get to.

Mr. JORDAN of Ohio. Look, we all know we are in a tough economic situation, and the gentleman from Missouri has explained some of the reasons we got there. The question is, where are you going to look for the solution? Are you going to look to the government, the big Federal Government which, as the gentleman has pointed out, has already run up deficit after deficit. We are approaching an $11 trillion national debt. So you are going to look to the same government that helped get us in the problem, or you are going to look to the people, not the economy, the people. It's the American taxpayer, American family, the American small business owner who can get us out of that situation we are in. That's who we should trust. What we should do, is instead of spending and spending more, we should look for ways to reduce the tax burden, something we know that works every single time it's tried. When you let families, when you let small business owners, when you let the entrepreneurial spirit of the American people have more of their money to use it, to invest it, to put it back into their business, to put it into those things that have meaning and significance to them and their family, good things happen in your economy. That's where our focus should be, and, frankly, that's the proposal we want to talk about a little bit later that we, the Republican Study Committee, unveiled today.

Mr. JORDAN of Ohio

Mr. JORDAN of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the resolution. Look, we all know the facts. We've got a $10 trillion national debt. I believe last November the Treasury Department reported that we ran the largest single monthly deficit in American history. From 1789 to 1987 we accumulated $2 trillion in national debt. This fiscal year, and last fiscal year we will add $2 trillion. So what it took us 200 years to do, we've done in 2 years. This is a good first step, something we need to do. And we need to look at every single line item in the Federal budget, every single agency. And so I want to applaud both parties and the President-elect for bringing this forward. I gave a speech the other night back home in Ohio and I said to the group, I said, who's going to bail out the bailout? And everyone kind of looked at me because they get it. They understand it's going to be the American taxpayer. Worse yet, it's going to be future American taxpayers, our kids and our grandkids. And so it's important that we do everything we can to look at where there's waste, where there's redundancy, where there's fraud, where there's crazy things in the Federal Government that we need to get a handle on and reduce spending so we can help families in the future and continue this great country that we call America.