Adam Kinzinger

Mr. KINZINGER of Illinois

Mr. KINZINGER of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, today, I join many of my colleagues from both sides of the aisle in support of giving the President the initial authority needed to confront ISIS and Syria. I am actually surprised and disheartened by the opposition that some here in this Chamber have towards the amendment. To be clear, I have been as vocal a critic of this administration's lack of strategy in Syria as any other person. But that does not excuse us from what, I believe, is the right thing to do, which is to give the Commander in Chief the tools necessary to confront this evil. I don't remember many of my colleagues from this body stepping forward a year ago, or even a few months ago, urging the President to do more in Syria. In fact, at the beginning of this year, I called for bombing ISIS targets as they moved into Fallujah and Iraq. By many I was called a warmonger or somebody eager to start another war in Iraq. It is easy to come up with any excuse not to support an amendment. Some say it doesn't go far enough. I have heard from a lot of people here that say it doesn't go far enough. Some people say that it goes too far, it is too much. It doesn't include an authorization of military force, it doesn't include an overarching strategy for ISIS or Syria. I reject those calls for a perfect strategy from a perfect President for a perfect outcome in Syria. That is simply not possible given the circumstances we now face, due to our previous inaction. Mr. Speaker, to those who believe that the Assad regime is a partner in the fight against ISIS, I would remind them this regime has slaughtered nearly 200,000 of its own people. In fact, in Iraq, when we were fighting al Qaeda in Iraq, the Assad regime gave AQI safe haven in Syria to fight American forces. And look no further than Hezbollah--one of the greatest enemies of the West and one of the greatest enemies of Israel is strongly supported and enabled by the Assad regime. The Assad regime created the ISIS problem, gave them safe passage through regime- controlled territory and, ultimately, attacked only Free Syrian Army targets until the West looked over, and now they look like the savior of the West by attacking only ISIS. Let's not get sucked into that argument.

Mr. KINZINGER of Illinois. I support this amendment, not because it is part of a larger strategy in Syria that we would like to see from this administration but because it is a first step in addressing ISIS in Syria. I ask my colleagues to support this first step that many have been calling for to train the FSA before it is too late. What would our enemies and allies think if we rejected the President's authority to do this? I urge support of this amendment.

Mr. KINZINGER of Illinois

Mr. KINZINGER of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, it is an honor to rise today in celebration of the DeKalb Municipal Band as they celebrate 160 years of concerts this December. From humble beginnings as the Silver Cornet Band in 1854, the DeKalb Municipal Band has a history as interesting and unique as its many members. In its early years it was the official band of the Third Regiment of the Illinois National Guard, and was later renamed the DeKalb Military Band following the return of musicians who served in World War I. In the 1930s, Hopkins Park was built and the band found a permanent home for concerts. Since then, Hopkins Park has been outfitted with a wooden shell, funded by the band members themselves, which was eventually upgraded to the current concrete and steel band shell that includes seating for 3,000 to enjoy today's concerts. As one of the most historic bands in the Midwest, the DeKalb Municipal Band keeps the tradition of providing music and entertainment to DeKalb and the surrounding communities alive with their annual summer concert series, including their July 4th Fireworks Spectacular. The commitment of the musicians, conductors, and volunteers who have helped the Municipal Band survive and thrive for 160 years is to be commended. DeKalb and the surrounding communities can take pride in the Band's historic traditions and I know we can all look forward to many more decades of music in Hopkins Park. Mr. Speaker, on behalf of Illinois' Sixteenth District of Illinois, I wish to express our appreciation and sincere congratulations to all those who have helped make the DeKalb Municipal Band a success over the past 160 years.

Mr. KINZINGER of Illinois

Mr. KINZINGER of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank Chairman Goodlatte for helping to bring this to the floor very quickly, also to the Majority Leader-elect Kevin McCarthy for his hard work and also to my good friend on the other side of the aisle, Representative Blumenauer, who has had a passion for this program since even before I got here. Mr. Speaker, at a time when we just get debating a lot of tough things, it is great to see times when Republicans and Democrats can come together and do things for those that fight hard on behalf of our country and on behalf of theirs. The Special Immigrant Visa program was designed to provide safe refuge to the countless brave Afghan men and women who willingly put their lives on the line and served shoulder to shoulder with our servicemembers in Operation Enduring Freedom. This program is critical to our national security and to our servicemembers and veterans in any future engagement that will likely come at some point in the future. The SIV programs provide lifesaving protections to those who served in U.S. missions and now are in danger as a result at the end of that service. The Taliban are hunting these people down as we speak here today. Because it is in our national security interest to keep these promises and protect our allies and simply because it is the right thing to do, I want you to think about for a second: In a time of war, what can American soldiers and American marines, airmen, and sailors do in order to communicate with the local population and to get them on our side versus a very tough and determined enemy? Of course, the basic thing to that is to be able to speak to the local population. So you think about, in many cases, these young men and women--these translators that, in some cases, wouldn't even put on anything to obscure their face and would stand side by side with American soldiers against Taliban in very tough areas, many of them, now as America withdraws its mission from Afghanistan and winds down its mission, now find themselves under threat every day. Whether we agree or we disagree with the war in Afghanistan and anything like that, the reality of it is this: we all can agree that those that were willing to stand by us and to stand against this very, very bad enemy well deserve to come here. We of course want to ensure that we are going through the proper process, and I want to commend the State Department for recently improving their ability to process these applicants and to do so correctly and safely. But I also would remind folks that when we talk about the United States of America and who do we want here, people who are willing to stand shoulder to shoulder with our soldiers and defend our cause and defend their cause are the ones we would like to see in the United States of America enjoying their freedom as well. I mentioned earlier the threats that these people live under. It is estimated that multiple people are being killed every day who engaged in this kind of effort on behalf of the United States. So I want to commend everybody in this body for standing together to say that we need to stand with those who stood with us. Recently there was a very interesting news special that talked about the reality of what was going on, and it interviewed a lot of these translators. Something that struck me the most was somebody who had been denied a visa, or at least it had taken a very long time to get, but he still had faith.

Mr. KINZINGER of Illinois. He stood up and said that he had faith that he was going to make it to the United States of America because the United States of America came to his country to help them, and he knows that the United States of America will do the right thing. It is inspiring to see that kind of belief in our country that we have, but to see it shared by people in war-torn areas. So again to my colleagues on the other side of the aisle, thank you. Representative Blumenauer, thank you for your friendship and your hard work.

Mr. KINZINGER of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding again. I won't take much time, except to say it is very inspiring--as I think it is important to note when it happens--to see both sides of the aisle talking about such a very important issue. I think it is important to note that when we exit the shores of the United States, Americans stand together with those that stood with us. This is going to be a very important message to our current allies, and, again, something that is important to understand, as we all know, as history repeats itself, that at some point into the future, and we hope it is far out into the future, America will find itself engaged in something similar again where we need the indigenous population to help us to give them freedom and to defeat evil terrorism, or whatever it may be at the time. This is a message that we are sending to future conflicts that we will stand with you. This is also going to, Mr. Speaker, save the lives of American soldiers, marines, airmen, and sailors in the future, as they have somebody that can help them to communicate with the local population and win the trust. Again, for everybody involved, I want to just once again say thank you.

Mr. KINZINGER of Illinois

Mr. KINZINGER of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I want to say thank you to the chairman for yielding me this time. Thank you to both sides for your hard work. It is rare that we get compromises in Washington, and I appreciate the work you have put in, but I cannot, in good conscious, support this. I am a veteran of Iraq. I saw many people that fought hard to bring the Iraqi people freedom, and I saw a war that was won in 2011. What we are watching happen in Iraq right now is the worst-case scenario in the Middle East. There is a march of jihadism and extremism that makes al Qaeda look like puppy dogs that is happening in Iraq, a President that is indecisive on what to do. We have genital mutilations ordered in Mosul just the other day by ISIS, and we are here in Washington, D.C., debating what we need to do to hamstring the President who is already indecisive enough about this. When American military--American Marines and Army--get themselves into sustained combat, they often call on strong air support to help them win the fight. And that is why--as well as the strong Marines and Army we have, that is why we are so good at what we do. We are asking the Iraqi military to take back their country and take land but yet not providing them substantial air power that is needed to destroy this very evil cancer that is growing in the Middle East. That is what we ought to be here discussing today is how to stop this cancer of jihadism and ISIS that is growing in the Middle East, how to stop that from growing, and ultimately prevent it from coming here to the United States of America and potentially to our allies. So while I, again, strongly respect and fully understand what my chairman is doing here and appreciate his hard work, I think instead of giving the President an ability to blame Congress for his indecisiveness, I think it is time that we stand up and say we have to defend our interest and defend people that want to defend themselves.

Mr. KINZINGER of Illinois

Mr. KINZINGER of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4092) to amend the Energy Policy and Conservation Act to establish the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy as the lead Federal agency for coordinating Federal, State, and local assistance provided to promote the energy retrofitting of schools, as amended.

Mr. KINZINGER of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous material into the Record on the bill.

Mr. KINZINGER of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. H.R. 4092 directs the Secretary of Energy to develop a clearinghouse to publish information on Federal programs and financing tools that may be used to initiate, development, and finance energy efficiency, distributed generation, and energy retrofitting projects for schools. In doing so, H.R. 4092 directs the Secretary to coordinate with appropriate Federal agencies on a collaborative effort to streamline communications and promote available programs and financing mechanisms. Schools spend approximately $6 billion each year on energy costs, making it the next largest expenditure after personnel costs. Well- designed energy efficiency and renewable energy improvements can stabilize or reduce these operating costs. In fact, the most efficient schools use three times less energy than the least efficient schools. H.R. 4092 makes it easier for schools to access information on Federal programs and financing tools for pursuing such energy improvements. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. KINZINGER of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I will inquire if the gentleman from Maryland is prepared to close, as I am.

Mr. KINZINGER of Illinois. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. KINZINGER of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I thank our colleagues across the aisle, and I urge the approval of this. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. KINZINGER of Illinois

Mr. KINZINGER of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and concur in the Senate amendment to the bill (H.R. 316) to reinstate and transfer certain hydroelectric licenses and extend the deadline for commencement of construction of certain hydroelectric projects.

Mr. KINZINGER of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous materials in the Record on the bill.

Mr. KINZINGER of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. H.R. 316 would provide the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, or FERC, with limited authority to reinstate two terminated hydroelectric licenses and transfer them to a new owner, the town of Canton, Connecticut. The licenses are associated with the upper and lower Collinsville dams on the Farmington River in Connecticut. Both projects are under 1 megawatt each. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. KINZINGER of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I will just say this is a good bill, and I urge my colleagues to support it. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. KINZINGER of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. KINZINGER of Illinois

Mr. KINZINGER of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4801) to require the Secretary of Energy to prepare a report on the impact of thermal insulation on both energy and water use for potable hot water.

Mr. KINZINGER of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous materials in the Record on the bill.

Mr. KINZINGER of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I thank the Speaker for the time today to discuss H.R. 4801, the Thermal Insulation Efficiency Improvement Act. Today, millions of gallons of water and energy are wasted due to heating losses that could be prevented through the increased use of thermal insulation. The purpose of this legislation is to help identify opportunities in which we can maximize energy and water efficiency through the minimization of waste in our Federal facilities. With the Federal Government being the single-largest consumer of energy in the country, the potential savings from the increased use of thermal insulation has the potential to be very significant in the amount of resources, both natural and financial, that can be saved. For example, we have seen what the benefits of mechanical insulation maintenance in commercial buildings can be, with savings potentially topping $4.8 billion annually. That is enough energy savings to light nearly 4 million homes per year. Up to this point, there have only been small-scale studies conducted to show the benefits such insulation can have on water and energy resources that are otherwise being wasted. The potential increase in energy efficiency is tremendous, as has been shown through the use of mechanical insulation, but this has not yet been demonstrated on a large scale. That is why I introduced H.R. 4801 with Congressman McNerney. This legislation takes a step in the right direction in demonstrating the benefits of thermal insulation not only to the private sector, but to show the Federal Government how it can increase energy efficiency and cost savings by applying these techniques in our Federal facilities. The bill does this by simply having the Department of Energy compile a study on the impact of thermal insulation on both energy and hot and cold water systems in Federal buildings. I believe the addition of thermal insulation to the proper systems in our Federal facilities is both a relatively simple yet cost-effective way to reduce heat gains and losses that result in money simply going up in thin air. Estimates also show that thermal insulation saves up to 500 times more energy over its lifespan than its cost, which translates into fairly generous returns on energy efficiency. Simply put, thermal insulation saves energy, water, and money. Once again, I urge passage of this bill. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. KINZINGER of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, once again, I want to thank Congressman McNerney for working with me diligently on this. I thank my colleagues on both sides of the aisle, and I urge passage of the bill. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. KINZINGER of Illinois

Mr. KINZINGER of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I join my colleagues offering their condolences and prayers to the people of Turkey in the wake of the worst mining disaster in that country's history. I am deeply saddened by the tragic loss of life, and share the pain of the victims' families and friends. As a former Air Force pilot who continues to serve in the Air National Guard, I have experienced our close relationship with Turkey, and can attest to the sincerity, kindness, and generosity of the Turkish people. The way forward will be long and painful, but the people of Turkey should know they are not alone, and are in my thoughts and prayers at this difficult time.

Mr. KINZINGER of Illinois

Mr. KINZINGER of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the life of Lance Corporal Steven Hancock of Goose Lake, Illinois, who faithfully served our Nation in the United States Marine Corps. He was a member of the Second Marine Aircraft Wing and died while participating in a training exercise on an MV-22B Osprey aircraft on May 19, 2014. Lance Corporal Hancock was one of three children and attended Coal City High School. He was known as a quiet leader and earned the distinguished rank of Eagle Scout as a member of Scout Troop 466. His family, friends, and colleagues will always remember his constant smile, cheerfulness, and strong faith in Jesus Christ. Lance Corporal Hancock joined the Marine Corps on March 5, 2012, and was the crew chief of the Osprey aircraft on which he served. His sense of duty and willingness to voluntarily serve our country demonstrates what makes our Nation exceptional. He will be sorely missed, and I am extremely grateful for his service. It is because of people like him who are willing to defend our country that we are allowed to stand here and deliberate on behalf of the American people. God bless Lance Corporal Hancock, and God bless his family.

Mr. KINZINGER of Illinois

Mr. KINZINGER of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Mrs. Judy Cremer, Livingston County Circuit Clerk, and to recognize her many years of devoted service to the citizens of Livingston County and the State of Illinois. Mrs. Cremer has worked in Livingston County government for 50 years. Judy started her service in the State Attorney's office in 1964 and later moved over to the Circuit Clerk's office where she has been a dutiful employee since 1980. She has been a constant presence in Livingston County and helped make countless improvements in the Circuit Clerk's office throughout her years of service. I would like to thank Judy for all she has done for the residents of Livingston County. She has been a leader and an integral part of Livingston County government these past 50 years. I know that the people of Livingston County are thankful for her service and efforts to improve the lives of those in the area. Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the 16th District of Illinois, I wish to express our deepest thanks to Judy Cremer for her commendable service and dedication to the people of Livingston County and the State of Illinois for the past 50 years.