Jack Kingston

Mr. KINGSTON

Mr. KINGSTON. Mr. Speaker, as a lead sponsor of this provision, I rise today to underscore intent of language included in the Fiscal Year 2014 Omnibus Appropriations Act. The statement of managers accompanying the legislation directs the Army Corps of Engineers to consider the Savannah Harbor Expansion Program (SHEP) to be in the construction phase. This direction, in concert with associated explicit bill language waving Section 902 limitations for fiscal years 2014 and 2015, allows the SHEP to proceed through the construction phase including, but not limited to, the allocation of construction funds in the President's budget request and the execution of a Project Partnership Agreement (PPA). Consistent with appropriations acts since fiscal year 2009, the Committee has allocated funds in the construction account rather than the preconstruction, engineering and design account for SHEP. With this legislation, the Administration and the Army Corps of Engineers should request construction funds and proceed with a PPA to allow completion of this project.

Mr. KINGSTON

Mr. KINGSTON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of the late Charlie Mikell. Many years ago I was in a Bible study group with a few friends. We met weekly to discuss spiritual matters, the Gospel, and our personal lives. One of the members was a young lawyer named Charles B. Mikell. Although as a group we were at various stages of our lives, Charlie had already served as an Army Intelligence Officer in Vietnam and was with one of the leading law firms in Savannah. One day he made a surprising comment. He said that there had been times in his life when he felt that he should have been doing more for others. As the years went by, I realized exactly what he meant. Eventually Charlie gave up his very lucrative career in law and was appointed to the State Court of Chatham County. He served as Chief Judge of that court for two years and as President of the Georgia Council of State Court Judges. Later, he was elected Judge of the Superior Court of the Eastern Judicial Circuit in 1992 and was reelected in 1996. In 2000 he was appointed to the Georgia Court of Appeals. He served as Chief Judge of the Georgia Court of Appeals from 2011 until his retirement in August of 2012. Through these activities he realized his potential and ability in serving others and emerged as one of the most respected judges in Georgia. He had a reputation for fairness, clarity, and mercy. In addition to his outstanding public service, Charlie was also involved in a number of charities and foundations, including the United Way, the Arthritis Foundation, the Boy Scouts, the Devereaux Foundation, the Museum of African History and Culture, the King-Tisdell Cottage Foundation, the Neighbor-to-Neighbor Justice Center, and the National Foundation for Troubled Youth. He was also a member of the vestry at Christ Church, taught Sunday School, and coached basketball at the Victor B. Jenkins Memorial Boys Club. In each of his endeavors, he transcended political and socio-economic differences. He truly had no enemies and was respected by all. Charlie passed away on November 4, 2013 after a courageous battle with multiple myeloma. He leaves behind his loving wife of thirty-three years, Dr. Julia L. Mikell, his son Chuck and his wife Isadora, his son John, his wife Jane, and their two sons John, Jr. and James, and his son Sam. I had the privilege of attending church with the Mikell family, and I taught both Chuck and John in Sunday School. I also worked with Sam during his time in Washington. All three kids are brilliant, polite, and, like their parents, have channeled their remarkable talents into both the pursuit of their careers and to helping others. America is full of good people, and it's people like Julia and Charlie Mikell who have made America great by handing down wonderful values to their children. They will continue to bless us, and their memory will carry on. I feel honored to recognize the memory of Charlie Mikell, and I was proud to call him a friend. He will be truly missed.

Mr. KINGSTON

Mr. KINGSTON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of the late Bill Young. On October 18, 2013, America lost one of its great national leaders. Bill Young was a gentleman, a passionate advocate for the military, and a devoted public servant. During his twenty-two terms in Congress, Bill was the number one cheerleader for our service men and women. He was especially concerned for their personal safety and health care for the wounded. In these times of low public approval for Congress, Bill was the exception. He was respected by all, and, more importantly, never joined in the partisan bashing that is all too common in Washington today. He was a proud Member and executed his job with great pride. When I was a new member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, I was surprised by his offer to visit the military installations in my district. Though I was new in representing Warner Robins Air Force Base that year, having Bill come and talk to their leadership sent a strong signal that they were in good hands. Bill did the same thing for many other members regardless of party. I was once returning from an overseas trip with Bill, and we were in Shannon Airport in Ireland long after it closed. We ran into a group of soldiers from the Third Infantry Division returning home. Their reaction to seeing Bill was truly heartwarming. They immediately recognized him, and came over to greet him and get a picture. I believe that the reason they admired Bill had less to do with his title or position, but more to do with how he felt about the military. They knew Bill Young as one who knew the capability of weapons systems, but always remembered the young men and women whose lives depended on them. Part of Bill's charm was that he was well grounded, rooted in a loving wife and family. He was even tempered, kind hearted, and the consummate gentleman. He set the tone for the Committee and Congress as a whole. Bill will be remembered and missed by Congress, the military, and a grateful nation. God bless his memory and his family.

Mr. KINGSTON

Mr. KINGSTON. Mr. Speaker, does anyone across the fruited plain think that ObamaCare has been a success? Two of its major objectives were to bring down the costs of health care and increase the accessibility. Well, I ask you: Does anybody know anyone whose premium has decreased? My own 30-year-old daughter's premium went from $160 to $270. Indeed, our office is besieged with people whose premiums have skyrocketed. And then let's talk about accessibility. We hear 5.9 million policies have been canceled. And what do we hear from the Obama folks about the enrollment? 200,000 people or so. Of course, they keep the numbers kind of fuzzy. It is kind of like the unemployment numbers. You can't quite tell what they really are. But the reality is the cancelations are going about 100 miles an hour and enrollment is going at about a 20- mile-an-hour pace. ObamaCare has been a failure. We need to defund it. We need to start all over again. We need to have health care that is patient-centered and market-based that does in fact bring down the cost of medicine and make it more affordable and more accessible to the American people.

Mr. KINGSTON

Mr. KINGSTON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the Rotary Club of Savannah, which will celebrate the 100th anniversary of its founding this January. This club has been instrumental in providing a network for Savannah's business leaders and serving our community. The Rotary Club of Savannah is the oldest club in Georgia outside of Atlanta and has over 240 members. It was founded on January 12, 1914. The club's first major project was to buy and promote the sale of bonds to build a road to Tybee Island. The Rotary Club of Savannah was very active in World Wars I and II, helping our service men abroad and aiding relief efforts in Europe. The Rotary Club of Savannah has been one of the largest supporters of the Bethesda Home for Boys, providing funding, clothing, Christmas gifts, banquets, Boy Scout activities, and volunteer services. They have sponsored the formation of eight new Rotary clubs in our state. They have also been instrumental in establishing the Georgia Rotary Student Program, an international scholarship program which invites students from around the world to study in Georgia. From organizing youth sports programs to constructing water fountains, the Rotary Club has been a force for good in our community for the past century. I am proud to support the Rotary Club of Savannah as they celebrate this historic milestone. My thoughts are with them during this special time.

Mr. KINGSTON

Mr. KINGSTON. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to Major Conrad J. Jakubow, United States Army for his extraordinary dedication to duty and selfless service to the United States of America. Conrad has served for the last three years as a Congressional Budget Liaison for the Secretary of the Army and will soon depart for his next duty assignment. A native of Chicago, Illinois, Conrad earned his commission as an Officer in the United States Army at the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York in calendar year 2000. Major Jakubow's assignments have been diverse and include over twenty-eight months of combat experience. While assigned as a Lieutenant to the 1st Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment, 1st Armored Division, at Armstrong Barracks in Budingen, Germany, Conrad served with Charlie Troop, Alpha Troop, and Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, as a tank and scout platoon leader, executive officer, and squadron motor officer and deployed his units twice to combat in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. As a Captain, Conrad attended the Civil Affairs Qualification Course and became a civil affairs officer serving in both the 96th Civil Affairs Battalion and the 95th Civil Affairs Brigade deploying again in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. After returning from his third combat deployment, Major Jakubow began his professional studies as a United States Army Congressional Fellow, earning a Master's of Professional Studies in Legislative Affairs from The George Washington University. Conrad was then nominated and assigned as an Office of the Secretary of Defense Congressional Fellow in the office of the late Congressman C.W. Bill Young and served as his military advisor on defense and veteran matters, providing critical analysis and insight on defense appropriation matters and pending legislation. Major Jakubow served one year in the Congressional Office and thereafter was subsequently assigned as a Congressional Budget Liaison Officer in the office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Financial Management and Comptroller in the Pentagon with responsibility for managing the Army's tactical wheeled vehicle program, military construction accounts, installations, energy, and special access program portfolios. Conrad has skillfully advised the Army's senior leaders, fostering and strengthening the relationship between the Congress and the United States Army. Major Jakubow's leadership as both a Company Grade and Field Grade Officer throughout his career has positively impacted his peers and superiors, Soldiers and civilians alike. As a Congressional Budget Liaison Officer he worked directly with the House and Senate Appropriations Committees to educate and inform Representatives, Senators, and staff about the diverse and important tactical procurement initiatives of the U.S. Army. Mr. Speaker, it has been my esteemed pleasure to work with Major Conrad Jakubow during his time as a fellow and legislative liaison. On behalf of a grateful nation, I join my colleagues today in recognizing and commending Major Conrad J. Jakubow for over a decade of active service to his country in the United States Army. We wish Conrad, his daughter Mara, all the best as they continue their journey of service to our great Nation.

Mr. KINGSTON

Mr. KINGSTON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the life of Mrs. Flora Day King. Mrs. King passed away on November 29, 2013 in Seneca, South Carolina at the age of 97. Flora Prussia Day was born on December 27, 1915 in Lexington, Virginia, the daughter of the late Philip Baldwin Day and Ernestine Albery Day. After graduating as valedictorian of the one-room schoolhouse in Lexington, she earned her Bachelor's degree from William and Mary College and her Master's degree in chemistry from Virginia Polytechnic Institute. Following in the footsteps of her grandfather, Admiral Benjamin Franklin Day of the United States Navy, Flora enlisted in the Navy in 1941. She served as a Lieutenant in the Navy developing and testing jet propellant for rockets at Indian Head Naval Surface Warfare Center in Maryland for the duration of the Second World War. Flora married Dr. Edwin Wallace King in 1950 and moved to Clemson, South Carolina in 1956, where she worked as a chemist for the United States Department of Agriculture at Clemson University. She was active in community service organizations and her local Episcopal church. She is survived by her sister, Jane Day Casati, her sister-in-law, Jeanne Poe Day, her son Edwin Wallace King Jr., his wife Edythe and their two daughters, Edythe Day King and Elizabeth Monroe King, and her son Philip Day King, his wife Lori, and their son Philip Robert King. Today we honor her service to our country and her commitment to her family. She was a kind and loving woman who inspired those around her, and she will be truly missed.

Mr. KINGSTON

Mr. KINGSTON. Mr. Speaker, one of the great pleasures of serving on the Defense Committee is that we get to be associated with a large number of people who are in the Armed Services, and one such acquaintance and friend is Major Tom E. Lamb. Tom Lamb is the congressional budget liaison for the Army to the Appropriations Committee, does an excellent job in that capacity. He was also the military fellow in our office and got to know the good folks in south Georgia and our staff, and we all grew to love Tom. I am going to submit for the Record a number of things about Tom's life, but I have got to tell one story about him. And you, Mr. Speaker, as a member of the military, will appreciate this. We were traveling in a remote part of the world and had to make an unexpected stop because of a weather delay in our travel and had to get into a dirt runway in a particular location, and then we had to split up the group because of a weight problem and weather problem and just complications. So one of Tom's duties was to reassign people on a new and a different airplane that was a smaller airplane, and he was having trouble getting everybody on board because of the weight issue. And finally, I said to Tom: Tom, what is the problem? I am counting up the number of seats, and there should be enough room. He said: Sir, we have to go by weight, and I have asked each Member of Congress what their weight is and, sir, not everybody is giving me their accurate weight, and so I am having to do a little bit of balancing and avoid embarrassment to everybody. It was just amazing to me that here is this guy, a military officer, an Iraqi and an Afghan veteran, and yet he had the aplomb and the diplomacy to handle a situation like this with a smile, with humor, and get us out of this location by splitting up everybody and not causing any turmoil or friction. That is just a small example of the kind of things that today's military leaders can do. And I know there were a lot bigger issues that he dealt with when he was in Iraq and Afghanistan and, indeed, working in the budget office--I worked with him on lots and lots of different issues--but Tom Lamb, to me, Mr. Speaker, represents the finest in the military and the finest in the United States of America. I wish Tom and his wife, Emilie, the best in their next duty assignment. Tom, thank you for all the great service you have given the United States Government, the Congress, and our office in particular. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to Major Thomas E. Lamb for his extraordinary dedication to duty and service to the U.S. Army and the United States of America. Tom has served for the last 2 years as a Congressional Budget Liaison for the United States Army and will soon depart for his next duty assignment. A native of Washington State, Tom earned his commission at the United States Military Academy at West Point in 2002. As our nation's armed forces were at war combating the evils of terrorism, Tom prepared to join that fight soon after graduation. At his first duty assignment with 1-4 Air Defense Artillery in Germany, Tom deployed and led an infantry scout platoon in combat in Iraq. Following his first combat tour, he then served in the 2nd Infantry Division, forward deployed on Freedom's Frontier in the Republic of Korea from 2004 to 2005. After returning to the United States for five months, Tom again deployed to Iraq in 2006 to serve as a staff officer and deputy commander of a Military Transition Team charged with training Iraqi Security Forces. After a year and a half stateside, Tom deployed once again, this time to Afghanistan in 2009, as a company commander. After returning from his third deployment and a total of 35 months in combat, Tom began his studies as an Army Congressional Fellow, earning a Master of Professional Studies degree in Legislative Affairs from The George Washington University. He was then assigned as a Congressional Fellow in my office and served as my principal advisor on defense matters. He provided critical insight and assistance to me in my role on the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee. As Representative to four major military installations and the many brave Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines that call the 1st District of Georgia home, I relied daily on Tom's military acumen. He transitioned to the Pentagon for assignment as a Congressional Budget Liaison Officer in the office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Financial Management and Comptroller where he was tasked with managing the Army's challenging military construction, installations, energy and environmental portfolios. Tom skillfully advised the Army's senior leaders, fostering and strengthening the relationship between the Congress and the United States Army. Major Lamb's leadership throughout his career thus far has positively impacted his peers and superiors, Soldiers and civilians alike. As a Congressional Budget Liaison Officer he worked directly with the House and Senate Appropriations Committees to inform Representatives, Senators, and staff about the diverse and important Army installations and infrastructure that support the training and well being of our Soldiers. On behalf of a grateful nation, I join my colleagues today in recognizing and commending Major Tom Lamb for over a decade of active service in the United States Army. We wish Tom and his wife, Emilie, all the best as they continue their journey of service to our great Nation.

Mr. KINGSTON

Mr. KINGSTON. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, in 1733, when General Oglethorpe sailed up the Savannah River, I have been told the river was 12 feet deep. We have been playing in the mud down there ever since. Today, it is 42 feet deep, but 42 feet isn't enough for the large Panamax ships that will soon start coming through the expanded Panama Canal. If we are to stay competitive, we have to deepen the river. There are 352,000 jobs in Georgia related to import/export and the Port of Savannah. In fact, the cost-benefit analysis of this investment is a dollar spent gives us a $5.50 return. In these tough economic times, that is why this legislation is so important. Furthermore, it is basically a reauthorization necessitated by bureaucratic delays. The original authority to deepen the Savannah River was in 1999. It took 13 years and $41 million worth of study to finally get four Federal agencies to approve it. During that period of time, China built a port, from start to finish, which is bigger than the Port of Savannah. Mr. Speaker, if we are to be competitive as a Nation, we have to do better than this. Today's legislation accelerates the approval process by alleviating unnecessary government delays. This legislation is common sense; it is pro-jobs and pro-America; and I urge its passage.

Mr. KINGSTON

Mr. KINGSTON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the 165th Airlift Wing of the Georgia Air National Guard, marking their tenth anniversary of mobilization for wartime missions. Since 2003, the 165th Airlift Wing has served in Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Enduring Freedom, and Operation New Dawn, with more than 80 percent of the wing's 900 airmen deploying during that time. Over the last ten years, the eight C-130H2 aircraft operated by the wing have seen 11,363 flying hours and 7,441 combat sorties. When the 165th Airlift Wing was activated for the first time since the Korean War, its unit members responded admirably. Their first unit aircraft dispatched within 72 hours of notification. In 2004, the 165th Airlift Wing was the first C-130 unit to deploy and operate out of Iraq, flying under the famous ``Red Tail'' markings of the 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing. In 2005, the 165th Airlift Wing had the solemn honor of supporting the rescue mission of the 16 Navy SEALs and Army Special Operation Aviation Regiment troops whose MH-47D was shot down while attempting to reinforce four SEALs under attack by the Taliban. The 165th continued its tradition of excellence in 2011 as a part of the 774th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron, during which time the 774th was recognized as the only squadron in the United States Central Command Area of Responsibility tasked at 100 percent. All 15 squadron aircraft flew every day for over 60 days. In tribute to its outstanding service during wartime mobilizations, I am honored today to recognize the 165th Airlift Wing and its contributions to the United States of America.

Mr. KINGSTON

Mr. KINGSTON. Mr. Speaker, over my years in Congress, I've had the honor of chairing several conference committees. Conference committees are set up when there's a disagreement between a House-passed bill and a Senate-passed bill. You sit down with your list of differences and you start sawing away at them, if you will. That's, in fact, what the House has been doing the past 2 weeks in the midst of this shutdown. We've been finding some things, such as military pay, science, civilian furlough issues, and health-related issues--things that are less controversial and on which we can agree-- so we can get some momentum to come up with a big agreement. Indeed, the gap is large. We have disagreement on ObamaCare because it's one-sixth of the American economy. It's very big. Secondly, we have a disagreement on the debt ceiling. Do we continue along the path of spending that we are on or do we make corrections? Thirdly, we have a $90 billion gap between our spending level between the House and the Senate. These are bigs issues. Sometimes, a long journey starts with small steps. That's why I urge our friends in the Senate to pass the legislation which the House has sent over to them, and then we can start focusing on the larger issues.

Mr. KINGSTON

Mr. KINGSTON. But if we can get some of these things off the table-- if we can agree on military pay, if we can agree on the civilian support staff for military, if we can agree on furloughed employees, and if we can agree with NIH, that science and public health should be off the table--then, Madam Speaker, that big gap that stands between us and the Senate right now, it begins to narrow, and we create a little bit of momentum for a solution. There are still going to be great differences that aren't going to be easy, but I think it is very important for us to come together and find the things on which we do agree, and at least move in a positive direction on them.

Mr. KINGSTON. I thank the gentleman for yielding. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of this bill because people do need a paycheck. They need to be able to plan their expenses based on their income, and we have disrupted that income flow, so it makes sense to say, let's get the pay schedule back on track. But I want to say something in a broader context that, after offering the Senate three different compromises on keeping the government open-- three different compromises that were rejected--and then a fourth offer to let's immediately, last Sunday, go to a conference and start negotiating our differences, all of those were rejected; but even in that context, we have found a few things that we can agree on: the military pay bill, which not only included the men and women in uniform but the civilian support staff that they had. As Mr. Moran has pointed out, recently we came together again for the furloughed employees to be able to get back pay for the time in which they're out of work. Then we tried the other day to pass--and did from the House--the NIH, the National Institutes of Health, which passed the House floor on an overwhelming bipartisan basis; and we're looking at other programs that have passed, again, on a bipartisan basis, such as WIC--the Women, Infants and Children nutrition program--Head Start, Impact Aid, and we have a number of others. Why, Madam Speaker, are those important? Because many of us have actually chaired and participated in conference committees where House and Senate Members come together to iron out their differences. Frequently, the gap is huge, and frequently, the differences are numerous. We know from experience that if you can start chopping those big differences into small steps, eventually you close the gap, and that is what the House Appropriations Committee, under Chairman Rogers, is doing, and much of it with the support of Democrat House Members.

Mr. KINGSTON

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

Mr. KINGSTON. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. KINGSTON. Mr. Speaker, I will repeat that if I can get a Democrat Party Member to cosponsor a continuation of the CDC, I would be glad to work together to move that bill. And with that, I yield the balance of my time to the gentleman from Maryland, Dr. Andy Harris, a distinguished committee member.

Mr. KINGSTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 30 seconds. I just want to say this: It scares me to death that America is going bankrupt. Our national debt is 100 percent of the GDP. For every dollar we spend, 42 cents is borrowed. ObamaCare adds to that $1.7 trillion. If we don't get control of our spending, then we are not going to have an America as we know it. That's what this fight is about. Now, what we're trying to do today is say there are tiny steps in which there is an agreement, and the NIH is one of them. We've already done this for military pay. This bill should not be a stretch. It should have widespread bipartisan support.

Mr. KINGSTON. Mr. Speaker, if I could ask how much time we have remaining.

Mr. KINGSTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/4\ minutes to the gentlewoman from Tennessee (Mrs. Black), a former nurse.

Mr. KINGSTON. Mr. Speaker, I say to my good friend from Tennessee that if you take out the TANF funding, which the Obama administration charges the NIH to conduct business, this is level funding. I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Pennsylvania, (Mr. Rothfus).

Mr. KINGSTON. Mr. Speaker, how much time is remaining?

Mr. KINGSTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Scalise), the chairman of the Republican Study Committee.

Mr. KINGSTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Mississippi (Mr. Harper). (Mr. HARPER asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. KINGSTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to Dr. Tim Murphy, a distinguished psychologist, lieutenant commander in the Navy, and the chairman of the Oversight and Investigations Committee of the Energy and Commerce Committee.

Mr. KINGSTON. Mr. Speaker, how much time do we have remaining?