Mike Pence

Mr. PENCE

Mr. PENCE. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor what would have been the 100th birthday of a great Hoosier legislator and American patriot, Senator William Jenner. Born in Crawford County, Indiana, Senator Jenner graduated with a law degree from Indiana University in 1930 and began a career practicing law in Paoli, Indiana. In the meantime, he quickly rose through the ranks of Indiana politicians, becoming Majority Leader and President Pro Tempore of the Indiana State Senate less than ten years after graduating from college. In a selfless act that placed the defense of freedom above political ambition, Senator Jenner resigned his seat in the Indiana Senate to serve as a captain in the Army Air Corps during World War II. In 1944, Senator Jenner returned from service overseas to fill a vacancy in the U.S. Senate resulting from the death of Frederick Van Nuys. He would later be elected for two complete terms, serving until 1959. As chair of the Internal Security Subcommittee of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Jenner spent much of his time in the Senate promoting American values while guarding against the spread of communist ideals during a fragile period of American history. A conservative and a proponent of equality, Senator Jenner laid out a plan that led to the inclusion of all races within the Republican Party. During his tenure as a politician, Senator Jenner believed in the ideals of the Senate as a forum for free-flowing discussion and a body that protected the viewpoints of the minority. As he famously said on January 4th, 1957, ``Jesus Christ was killed by a majority; Columbus was smeared; and Christians have been tortured. Had the United States Senate existed during those trying times, I am sure these people would have found an advocate. Nowhere else can any political, social, or religious group, finding itself under sustained attack, receive a better refuge.'' Following his retirement from the Senate, Jenner returned to law practice in Bedford, Indiana until his death in 1985 at the age of seventy-six. Gone but not forgotten, Madam Speaker, the legacy of this great Hoosier legislator lives on as a model of courage and patriotism for all members of Congress and indeed, all Americans as well.

Mr. PENCE

Mr. PENCE. Mr. Speaker, no one wants war with Iran, but America and our allies in Europe have been exerting increased diplomatic and economic pressure to move the nation of Iran and its government away from developing a nuclear program. In May, Congressman Gary Ackerman and I introduced bipartisan legislation, H. Con. Res. 362, urging this administration to impose expanded economic sanctions on key sectors of the Iranian economy. It appears as though it's having its good effect. In what's being reported today as what will be the ``closest contact between the two countries since the Iranian revolution of 1979,'' this weekend, U.S. Ambassador William Burns will meet with top arms negotiators from Tehran. It will be more of a listening session and should not be overstated. However, I would offer that this glimmer of hope in these negotiations is precisely because of the resolve of the United States and the European community to economically and diplomatically isolate Iran over its nuclear ambitions. But now is not the time for us to shrink from renewed diplomatic pressure. I urge all of my colleagues to join Congressman Gary Ackerman and me and cosponsor H. Con. Res. 362 before this weekend. Let's send a deafening message to the negotiators in Iran that the American people stand for diplomatic and economic isolation until they abandon their nuclear ambition.

Mr. PENCE

Mr. PENCE. I thank the gentleman for yielding. I'm pro-life. I don't apologize for it. I believe that the sanctity of life is a central axiom of Western civilization. Let me say, as we gather this evening under the leadership of the chairman of the Pro-Life Caucus here in the House of Representatives, Mr. Speaker, we are not really gathered this evening to debate the sanctity of life. We're really gathered tonight to shed light on a fact about Federal funding that, I think, escapes most Americans, and that is this simple fact: That the largest abortion provider in America is the largest recipient of Federal funding under title X. You know, when I'm walking down the street in Anderson, Indiana or in Muncie, Indiana, people know about my work on this particular issue. With the legislation I authored last summer during the appropriations process that received 189 votes to defund Planned Parenthood, one person after another will grab me by the elbow and will say, ``Mike, I did not know. I did not know that we gave a penny to the largest abortion provider in America, let alone the fact that the largest abortion provider in America, namely Planned Parenthood, is the largest recipient of Federal funding under title X.'' I mean the truth is that there has been much debate since 1973 and the decision of Roe v. Wade about the sanctity of life and the fault lines of the law and life, but where there has been national consensus since the very early days of this debate when a Congressman from Illinois named Henry Hyde conceived of the Hyde Amendment, there has been a national consensus behind the notion that, whatever your view of abortion, it is simply morally wrong to take the taxpayer dollars of millions of Americans who believe abortion is morally wrong and use it to pay for or to subsidize the performance of or the promotion of abortion. The Hyde Amendment gave birth to what has been the dominant philosophy in our foreign aid funding. It's called the Mexico City Policy. It essentially says that no U.S. foreign aid can go to any organization that performs or that promotes abortion as a means of birth control. You know, Madam Speaker, I really think many Americans think that that's the law here at home, too, that because the overwhelming majority of Americans think that pro-life Americans should not be forced to pay for abortions or to subsidize organizations that promote abortion, they think it doesn't happen here, when, in fact, let me say again that the largest abortion provider in America is the largest recipient of Federal funding under title X. Now, abortion-rights advocates and, most especially, Planned Parenthood would be the first to step forward to say that they don't use title X family planning money to perform abortions. In fact, there are very strict Federal regulations that are in place that require a separation between Planned Parenthood abortion service clinics and Planned Parenthood title X clinics for the poor. I suppose, while there have been instances of alleged misfeasance and of the commingling of funds, I'll leave that completely out of this conversation and will allow for the fact that there is this separation, but I've got to tell you, Madam Speaker, that anybody knows that the money that Planned Parenthood receives for its non abortion activities frees up resources to go into its abortion activities. The American people also deserve to know that this nonprofit organization received over $336 million in government grants and contracts, I think, in 2006. It had an excess of revenue over expenses of $56 million in 2005, and it had $112 million in 2006, which has given rise to the building spree that was reported on page 1 of the Wall Street Journal. Well, now Planned Parenthood is planning to go suburban with all new up-scale abortion mills around the country. So I commend the gentleman from New Jersey for bringing this conversation to the floor. I authored a bill last year in the Labor-HHS legislation that would have denied any Federal funding in title X from flowing to Planned Parenthood of America, and it received 189 votes, including 20 Members of the majority voting for it. If Congress ever got around to considering the Labor-HHS appropriations bill this year, I sincerely believe that that number would grow as public awareness has grown about the simple fact that the largest abortion provider in America, Planned Parenthood, is the largest recipient of Federal funding, and that ought not to be. Whatever a person's view of abortion is, it is my hope--and frankly, it is my prayer--that this Congress will come together in a bipartisan way and will implement a domestic Mexico City Policy and will say to the millions of Americans, to the hundreds of millions of Americans, perhaps, who have moral objections to abortion, we will not take your tax dollars and use it to subsidize the largest abortion provider in the United States of America. That's all we're here to talk about today. I urge my colleagues to reflect deeply on the fundamental fairness of this issue and to support the Title X Abortion Provider Prohibition Act that would bring a change to the law. In the appropriations cycle, if we ever get around to it in this Congress, let's take decisive action to defund Planned Parenthood, not cut a dime out of title X and its family planning programs, but let's say no more Federal tax dollars to the largest abortion provider in America. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. PENCE

Mr. PENCE. Madam Speaker, I rise today to commend and recognize the extraordinary contributions of emergency management, disaster response, and recovery personnel as well as elected officials and community leaders in my district which was devastated by the recent severe weather in Indiana. I wish particularly to honor the Board of Commissioners, County Council, and all the other outstanding individuals in Dearborn County who rose to the occasion during these difficult times. This area suffered greatly from severe storms and weather, creating a catastrophe of nature that inflicted injuries, destroyed property, and displaced many of our citizens. In response, these officials went above and beyond the call of duty, showing great poise while saving many lives and serving the people of their communities. Madam Speaker, I commend these fine men and women for their tremendous dedication to the Hoosier families, businesses, farmers and communities that they serve. As Hoosiers continue to recover from Mother Nature's fury, I feel confident that the people of Dearborn County will be well served by these officials.

Mr. PENCE

Mr. PENCE. Madam Speaker, I rise today to commend and recognize the extraordinary contributions of emergency management, disaster response, and recovery personnel as well as elected officials and community leaders in my district which was devastated by the recent severe weather in Indiana. I wish particularly to honor the Board of Commissioners, County Council, and all the other outstanding individuals in Adams County who rose to the occasion during these difficult times. This area suffered greatly from severe storms and weather, creating a catastrophe of nature that inflicted injuries, destroyed property, and displaced many of our citizens. In response, these officials went above and beyond the call of duty, showing great poise while saving many lives and serving the people of their communities. Madam Speaker, I commend these fine men and women for their tremendous dedication to the Hoosier families, businesses, farmers and communities that they serve. As Hoosiers continue to recover from Mother Nature's fury, I feel confident that the people of Adams County will be well served by these officials.

Mr. PENCE

Mr. PENCE. Madam Speaker, I rise today to commend and recognize the extraordinary contributions of emergency management, disaster response, and recovery personnel as well as elected officials and community leaders in my district which was devastated by the recent severe weather in Indiana. I wish particularly to honor the Board of Commissioners, County Council, and all the other outstanding individuals in Madison County who rose to the occasion during these difficult times. This area suffered greatly from severe storms and weather, creating a catastrophe of nature that inflicted injuries, destroyed property, and displaced many of our citizens. In response, these officials went above and beyond the call of duty, showing great poise while saving many lives and serving the people of their communities. Madam Speaker, I commend these fine men and women for their tremendous dedication to the Hoosier families, businesses, farmers and communities that they serve. As Hoosiers continue to recover from Mother Nature's fury, I feel confident that the people of Madison County will be well served by these officials.

Mr. PENCE

Mr. PENCE. Madam Speaker, I rise today to commend and recognize the extraordinary contributions of emergency management, disaster response, and recovery personnel as well as elected officials and community leaders in my district which was devastated by the recent severe weather in Indiana. I wish particularly to honor the Board of Commissioners, County Council, and all the other outstanding individuals in Wayne County who rose to the occasion during these difficult times. This area suffered greatly from severe storms and weather, creating a catastrophe of nature that inflicted injuries, destroyed property, and displaced many of our citizens. In response, these officials went above and beyond the call of duty, showing great poise while saving many lives and serving the people of their communities. Madam Speaker, I commend these fine men and women for their tremendous dedication to the Hoosier families, businesses, farmers and communities that they serve. As Hoosiers continue to recover from Mother Nature's fury, I feel confident that the people of Wayne County will be well served by these officials.

Mr. PENCE

Mr. PENCE. Madam Speaker, I rise today to commend and recognize the extraordinary contributions of emergency management, disaster response, and recovery personnel as well as elected officials and community leaders in my district which was devastated by the recent severe weather in Indiana. I wish particularly to honor the Board of Commissioners and County Council, as well as these outstanding individuals in Henry County: Ronald D. Huffman, Director, Emergency Management Agency Bruce Baker, Sheriff Jim Small, Mayor, City of New Castle James E. Nicholson, Chief of Police, City of New Castle These areas suffered greatly from severe storms and weather, creating a catastrophe of nature that inflicted injuries, destroyed property, and displaced many of our citizens. In response, these officials went above and beyond the call of duty, showing great poise while saving many lives and serving the people of their communities. Madam Speaker, I commend these fine men and women for their tremendous dedication to the Hoosier families, businesses, farmers and communities that they serve. As Hoosiers continue to recover from Mother Nature's fury, I feel confident that the people of Henry County will be well served by these officials.

Mr. PENCE

Mr. PENCE. Madam Speaker, I rise today to commend and recognize the extraordinary contributions of emergency management, disaster response, and recovery personnel as well as elected officials and community leaders in my district which was devastated by the recent severe weather in Indiana. I wish particularly to honor the Board of Commissioners and County Council, as well as these outstanding individuals in Bartholomew County: Dennis Moats, Director, Emergency Management Agency Mark Gorbett, Sheriff Jim Bickel, CEO, Columbus Regional Hospital Fred Armstrong, Mayor, City of Columbus Jim Worton, Chief of Police, City of Columbus These areas suffered greatly from severe storms and weather, creating a catastrophe of nature that inflicted injuries, destroyed property, and displaced many of our citizens. In response, these officials went above and beyond the call of duty, showing great poise while saving many lives and serving the people of their communities. Madam Speaker, I commend these fine men and women for their tremendous dedication to the Hoosier families, businesses, farmers and communities that they serve. As Hoosiers continue to recover from Mother Nature's fury, I feel confident that the people of Bartholomew County will be well served by these officials.

Mr. PENCE

Mr. PENCE. Madam Speaker, I rise today to commend and recognize the extraordinary contributions of emergency management, disaster response, and recovery personnel as well as elected officials and community leaders in my district which was devastated by the recent severe weather in Indiana. I wish particularly to honor the Board of Commissioners and County Council, as well as these outstanding individuals in Rush County: Mike Ooley, Director, Emergency Management Agency. Jeff Sherwood, Sheriff. Merv Bostic, Mayor, City of Rushville. Ron D. Cameron, Chief of Police, City of Rushville. These areas suffered greatly from severe storms and weather, creating a catastrophe of nature that inflicted injuries, destroyed property, and displaced many of our citizens. In response, these officials went above and beyond the call of duty, showing great poise while saving many lives and serving the people of their communities. Madam Speaker, I commend these fine men and women for their tremendous dedication to the Hoosier families, businesses, farmers and communities that they serve. As Hoosiers continue to recover from Mother Nature's fury, I feel confident that the people of Rush County will be well served by these officials.

Mr. PENCE

Mr. PENCE. Madam Speaker, I rise today to commend and recognize the extraordinary contributions of emergency management, disaster response, and recovery personnel as well as elected officials and community leaders in my district which was devastated by the recent severe weather in Indiana. I wish particularly to honor the Board of Commissioners and County Council, as well as these outstanding individuals in Shelby County: Mike Schantz, Director, Emergency Management Agency Michael Bowlby, Sheriff Scott Furgeson, Mayor, City of Shelbyville Bill Elliott, Chief of Police, City of Shelbyville These areas suffered greatly from severe storms and weather, creating a catastrophe of nature that inflicted injuries, destroyed property, and displaced many of our citizens. In response, these officials went above and beyond the call of duty, showing great poise while saving many lives and serving the people of their communities. Madam Speaker, I commend these fine men and women for their tremendous dedication to the Hoosier families, businesses, farmers and communities that they serve. As Hoosiers continue to recover from Mother Nature's fury, I feel confident that the people of Shelby County will be well served by these officials.

Mr. PENCE

Mr. PENCE. Madam Speaker, I rise today to commend and recognize the extraordinary contributions of emergency management, disaster response, and recovery personnel as well as elected officials and community leaders in my district which was devastated by the recent severe weather in Indiana. I wish particularly to honor the Board of Commissioners and County Council, as well as these outstanding individuals in Randolph County: Rick Brown, Director, Emergency Management Agency Jay Harris, Sheriff Steven Croyle, Mayor, City of Winchester Michael Burke, Chief of Police, City of Winchester These areas suffered greatly from severe storms and weather, creating a catastrophe of nature that inflicted injuries, destroyed property, and displaced many of our citizens. In response, these officials went above and beyond the call of duty, showing great poise while saving many lives and serving the people of their communities. Madam Speaker, I commend these fine men and women for their tremendous dedication to the Hoosier families, businesses, farmers and communities that they serve. As Hoosiers continue to recover from Mother Nature's fury, I feel confident that the people of Randolph County will be well served by these officials.

Mr. PENCE

Mr. PENCE. Madam Speaker, I rise today to commend and recognize the extraordinary contributions of emergency management, disaster response, and recovery personnel as well as elected officials and community leaders in my district which was devastated by the recent severe weather in Indiana. I wish particularly to honor the Board of Commissioners and County Council, as well as these outstanding individuals in Johnson County: Forrest Sutton, Director, Emergency Management Agency Terry McLaughlin, Sheriff Town Council, City of Edinburgh Patrick Pankey, Chief of Police, City of Edinburgh These areas suffered greatly from severe storms and weather, creating a catastrophe of nature that inflicted injuries, destroyed property, and displaced many of our citizens. In response, these officials went above and beyond the call of duty, showing great poise while saving many lives and serving the people of their communities. Madam Speaker, I commend these fine men and women for their tremendous dedication to the Hoosier families, businesses, farmers and communities that they serve. As Hoosiers continue to recover from Mother Nature's fury, I feel confident that the people of Johnson County will be well served by these officials.

Mr. PENCE

Mr. PENCE. Madam Speaker, I rise today to commend and recognize the extraordinary contributions of emergency management, disaster response, and recovery personnel as well as elected officials and community leaders in my district which was devastated by the recent severe weather in Indiana. I wish particularly to honor the Board of Commissioners and County Council, as well as these outstanding individuals in Decatur County: Pam Blasdel, Director, Emergency Management Agency Daryl Templeton, Sheriff Gary Herbert, Mayor, City of Greensburg Brian Heaton, Chief of Police, City of Greensburg These areas suffered greatly from severe storms and weather, creating a catastrophe of nature that inflicted injuries, destroyed property, and displaced many of our citizens. In response, these officials went above and beyond the call of duty, showing great poise while saving many lives and serving the people of their communities. Madam Speaker, I commend these fine men and women for their tremendous dedication to the Hoosier families, businesses, farmers and communities that they serve. As Hoosiers continue to recover from Mother Nature's fury, I feel confident that the people of Decatur County will be well served by these officials.

Mr. PENCE

Mr. PENCE. Madam Speaker, I rise today to commend and recognize the extraordinary contributions of emergency management, disaster response, and recovery personnel as well as government officials and military leaders at Camp Atterbury Joint Forces Maneuver Training Center, an important Army National Guard training site in my district which was devastated by the recent severe weather in Indiana. I wish particularly to honor Governor Mitch Daniels and his administration, as well as these outstanding individuals in the Indiana National Guard for their yeoman's work on behalf of Camp Atterbury: Major General R. Martin Umbarger, Adjutant General Brigadier General Clif Tooley, Assistant Adjutant General Colonel Barry Richmond, Post Commander Lieutenant Colonel Ronald A. Morris, Deputy Post Commander This area suffered greatly from severe storms and weather, creating a catastrophe of nature that inflicted injuries, destroyed property, and displaced many of our citizens. In response, these officials went above and beyond the call of duty, showing great poise while saving lives and serving the personnel working at their post. Madam Speaker, as Hoosiers continue to recover from Mother Nature's fury, I feel confident that the military and civilian personnel of Camp Atterbury will be well served by these leaders.

Mr. PENCE

Mr. PENCE. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor a fallen hero who served his country bravely in Iraq and Afghanistan. I was deeply saddened to learn of the loss of Lance Corporal Andrew Whitacre of Bryant, Indiana, one of two Marines who perished while conducting combat operations in southwestern Afghanistan's Farah Province on Thursday, June 19, 2008. Lance Cpl. Whitacre was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, based in Twentynine Palms, California. He was serving in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan, where his unit was helping to train the Afghan national police. The three Marine Corps values are honor, courage and commitment. They make up the bedrock of the character of each individual Marine. These values, handed down from generation to generation, have made the U.S. Marine Corps the most respected and revered fighting force on earth. Lance Cpl. Whitacre personified these values and continued that proud tradition as a Marine who served his country bravely in combat. An Infantry Assaultman, part of a gun team attached to his infantry unit, Lance Cpl. Whitacre's stock and trade was demolitions, breaching, and firing shoulder-launched assault weapons. As I'm sure his fellow 2/ 7 Marines who trusted their lives to his special explosives training would tell you, Lance Cpl. Whitacre was an asset to the Marine Corps, the United States and the American way of life. He will be sorely missed by all. In addition to any posthumous commendations that he might receive because he died in the line of duty, Lance Cpl. Whitacre was the recipient of six awards since he left for Marine Corps boot camp in July 2005. He earned ribbons for combat action and overseas service, including campaign medals for Iraq and Afghanistan. Madam Speaker, I extend my deepest condolences to the family and friends of Lance Cpl. Whitacre. And I wish to express my profound sadness to the community of Bryant, especially his father and stepmother, Ernie and Norma Whitacre; his mother and her fiancee, Susan Nunly and Michael Perry of Dunkirk; his fiancee, Casey McGuire of Parker, Arizona; two brothers, Ryan Murphy of Lancaster, Indiana and Justin Miller of Huntington; one sister, Ashley Williams of Lancaster, Indiana; four grandmothers, Mildred Whitacre of Berne, Caroline Huffman of Kendallville, Beulah Murphy of Bluffton and Mary Scott of Portland; and, many nieces and nephews. We are all struggling to cope with the tragic loss of this young man, no less because his death follows hard on the heels of another fallen Marine from the Sixth District who was lost less than a week before. Just as Lance Cpl. Whitacre embodied the Marine motto--Semper Fidelis, ``Always Faithful''--let us also be faithful to extend a helping hand to his family, friends and community, and remember them in our thoughts and prayers.

Mr. PENCE

Mr. PENCE. One year ago, over 300 Democrats and Republicans stood together to oppose efforts to restore the so-called Fairness Doctrine to the airwaves of this country for a single year. It was an encouraging vote. But, following that vote, I introduced the Broadcaster Freedom Act, which would permanently ban the Fairness Doctrine from ever coming back, and so far, not one single House Democrat has signed our position for an up-or-down vote on broadcast freedom. Now we know why. Asked yesterday if she supported reviving the Fairness Doctrine, Speaker Nancy Pelosi replied, ``Yes.'' At a meeting at the Christian Science Monitor, she said that the Broadcaster Freedom Act would not receive a vote because ``the interest of my caucus is the reverse.'' I say to Speaker Pelosi, with respect, defending freedom is the paramount interest of every Member of the American Congress. I urge my Democrat colleagues to take a stand for freedom. Oppose the Democrat leadership's plan to censure the airwaves of American talk radio and American Christian radio. Sign the discharge petition for broadcast freedom, and help us send the Fairness Doctrine to the ash heap of broadcast history where it belongs.

Mr. PENCE

Mr. PENCE. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the 30th birthday of arguably America's favorite feline friend, Garfield. From a humble beginning in Muncie, Indiana on June 19, 1978, Garfield and his creator, Jim Davis, have combined to bring laughter and cheer to the lives of millions of Americans over the past three decades. It would have been easy for the bright spotlight of fame to have drawn our good friend Garfield away from his humble Indiana roots. Yet as the Muncie Star Press writes in a June 19 editorial, ``Garfield is a hometown cat at heart.'' Remaining true to his roots, Muncie's favorite fat cat appears in the Guinness Book of World Records as the world's most widely syndicated comic strip character, appearing in around 2,580 publications each day. Madam Speaker, as we struggle with another Monday and find ourselves longing for a lasagna dinner, Americans have turned for thirty years to their friends Garfield, Jon, and Odie. Born at five pounds and six ounces, Garfield ate so much pasta that he threatened to put an Italian restaurant out of business, and was rescued to the relief of millions of Americans who have been touched through his inspiring blend of cynicism, complacency, and mediocrity. As Americans have gone from typewriters to BlackBerry and hatchbacks to SUVs, Garfield has remained a symbol of stability in an ever- changing world. Despite the turbulence of the past 30 years, Americans can still open their local newspaper to be greeted by the smiling face of Garfield. Nine lives or not, Madam Speaker, Muncie's favorite cat continues to live beyond all expectations.

Mr. PENCE

Mr. PENCE. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the long and distinguished career of Dr. Marlin B. Creasy. Dr. Creasy has served as the superintendent of Muncie Community Schools since 1997, but he will long be remembered for a commitment to public education that goes back some 40 years. Ever a champion of the Muncie schools and community, Dr. Creasy was loved by students, parents, faculty, and staff alike. Dr. Creasy spent countless evenings and weekends throughout his career attending school activities. It was this personal interaction and involvement that impacted students most and this was clearly Dr. Creasy's first love. Next year, as students fill the halls of Muncie Community Schools, Dr. Creasy will be sorely missed, but his legacy will live on. The lives of the students that Dr. Creasy touched will lead them to experiences that will change the face of Muncie for years to come. I'd like to thank Dr. Marlin B. Creasy for being a leader in the community and in the lives of the children for whom he opened the doors to a better education.

Mr. PENCE

Mr. PENCE. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of the FISA Amendments Act of 2008. America is at war. We have to do all we can to protect our Nation from those who seek to harm this country, our communities and our families. After nearly a year of delays, we finally have before us a bill that will institute a long-term fix to our Nation's foreign intelligence surveillance laws and provide the intelligence community with the tools it needs to protect this country. I rise in particular appreciation of Republican Whip Roy Blunt, Ranking Member Smith and Mr. Hoekstra. These Republicans stood firm and have succeeded in negotiating a strong 4-year extension to our surveillance laws. While this bill is tough on terrorists, it includes strong protections for civil liberties and Americans that have also been put in place by extensive measures of oversight and review in the Department of Justice, and it protects those patriotic telecommunications companies who assisted the Federal Government in the wake of 9/11. While I endorse these reforms and safeguards, let me say, Madam Speaker, Congress and future administrations must be vigilant to ensure that the exigent circumstances exceptions are practiced in a way that preserves Presidential discretion when conducting real-time foreign intelligence. Speaking less as a Congressman and more as a father, and as an American who was here on September 11, I am grateful to my colleagues in both parties for bringing this important compromise to the floor and making sure that our intelligence community, those who work tirelessly every day to protect us, have the tools they need to prevent the horrors of that day from ever being visited on our soil again.

Mr. PENCE

Mr. PENCE. Madam Speaker, I rise today to mourn the loss of a brave young Hoosier who served his country honorably in Iraq and Afghanistan. I was deeply saddened to learn of the loss of Lance Corporal Layton Bradly Crass of Richmond, Indiana, one of four Marines who perished in the wake of a roadside bombing in southwestern Afghanistan's Farah Province on Saturday, June 14, 2008. Lance Cpl. Crass served in G Company, 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines, 1st Marine Division, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force, based in Twentynine Palms, California. He was serving in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan, where his unit was helping to train and mentor the Afghan national police. The three Marine Corps values are honor, courage and commitment. They make up the bedrock of the character of each individual Marine. These values, handed down from generation to generation, have made the U.S. Marine Corps the most respected and revered fighting force on Earth. Lance Cpl. Crass personified these values and continued that proud tradition as a Rifleman who served his country bravely in combat. In addition to the posthumous awards that he will receive because he died in the line of duty, Lance Cpl. Crass was the recipient of seven awards since he enlisted in the Marine Corps in June 2005. He earned ribbons for combat action and two sea service deployments, as well as campaign medals for Iraq and Afghanistan. Madam Speaker, I extend my deepest condolences to the family and friends of Lance Cpl. Crass, and I wish to express my profound sadness to the community of Richmond, which is struggling to cope with the loss of a second young man in only a few short months. Just as Lance Cpl. Crass embodied the Marine motto--Semper Fidelis, ``Always Faithful''-- let us also be faithful to extend a helping hand to his family, friends and community, and remember them in our thoughts and prayers.

Mr. PENCE

Mr. PENCE. I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the rule and in support of most of this bill, and certainly appreciate the spirit with which it has come together. I certainly strongly support the military funding portion of the Iraq/Afghanistan supplemental appropriations bill. It will speed roughly $165 billion in emergency funds to our men and women serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, and it will do so without imposing artificial timelines and timetables for withdrawal. Far away from Washington D.C., our brave troops are focused on doing the job we've asked them to do, continuing our progress in Iraq and Afghanistan. Earlier this week, the headline of the Indianapolis Star, the leading newspaper in my home State, simply read, ``Iraq May Have Reached Turning Point.'' In a national Associated Press story the following words were written, ``Signs are emerging that Iraq has reached a turning point. Violence is down, armed extremists are in disarray, government confidence is rising, and sectarian communities are gearing up for a battle at the polls rather than slaughter in the streets.'' Mr. Speaker, the American people deserve to know that these headlines would not be possible if most Democrats in Congress had had their way, if they had passed any of the measures over the last year and a half that are brought to this floor again and again which would have cut off funding to our troops and facilitated a retreat and defeat from Iraq. And these headlines would not be possible if Republicans in Congress had not stood with our soldiers in the field, stood with our Commander in Chief, supported the new strategy and the new tactics that have brought about what the Associated Press describes as ``a turning point in Iraq.'' And so I strongly support the military supplemental funding in this bill. And I commend the leadership, most especially my colleagues who have stood with our soldiers and our Commander in Chief, for bringing this clean bill to the floor. Also, Mr. Speaker, I was heartened, as the gentleman from California just alluded, the ranking member, that after weeks of some of the most devastating weather in Indiana history, that this legislation will include $2.65 billion in disaster relief funding to ensure that critical resources are available to respond to the tornados and flooding across the Midwest. I've spent a great deal of my time with Hoosiers that are hurting. And my heart goes out to families across the Midwest and to those government agencies that are responding with such effectiveness. But I must say that in this emergency military spending bill, when we fund these emergencies, be they at home or abroad, we still need to do so in a fiscally responsible manner. I've said before and will say again that we must ensure that a catastrophe of nature does not become a catastrophe of debt for our children and grandchildren. I support this funding for true emergencies. But I still believe, as others have said before, that it should be offset by reductions in other government spending. And let me say emphatically, military emergency funding bills ought to be about military funding and emergencies. Our war funding is emergency military spending. The GI Bill improvements in this bill are meritorious and military. Flooding in the Midwest is an emergency. But I say with respect, what does $178 million for the Bureau of Prisons have to do with military or emergencies? What is $210 million for the Census or $400 million for scientific research doing in an emergency military funding bill? I support this expansion of the GI Bill. I support funding FEMA during a time of crisis. And I certainly support our troops.

Mr. PENCE. I believe, as we go forward with the spending bill, the American people deserve to know where credit is deserved, to those who have stood in this body for a clean war funding bill, stood by our troops, stood by the surge, and they also deserve to know that despite all the promises to the contrary about putting our fiscal house in order that here we are again with a massive amount of increased domestic spending, with nary a thought of how we're going to pay for it, passing the burden along to future generations of Americans. So I will not let the perfect be the enemy of the good. I will support this bill, because on balance I believe it funds urgent national needs in various respects. But I rise, as others have before, to say that emergency funding bills for the military ought to be about military funding and emergencies. And supporting those aspects of this bill will bring me to the floor and to an ``aye'' vote today.

Mr. PENCE

Mr. PENCE. Madam Speaker, Hoosiers are struggling in the aftermath of some of the worst storms in our Nation's history. But even amidst the cleanup of last weekend, I was still hearing about gasoline prices. At more than $4 a gallon in Indiana, working families, small businesses and family farms are hurting. Everywhere I went I heard the same thing, and it wasn't nationalize our refineries--as the Democrats are apparently planning to do--but the American people I heard from Indiana said drill for more oil on American soil. Hoosiers know the only way to lessen our dependence on foreign oil is to give the American people more access to American oil. I say to my countrymen, call your Congressman right now and tell this Congress, drill more, drill now, and we will pay less.

Mr. PENCE

Mr. PENCE. Mr. Speaker, the American people cherish freedom. That's why President Reagan repealed the so-called Fairness Doctrine back in 1987 that actually regulated the content of radio airwaves for more than four decades. Today, while some of the most powerful Democrats in Congress make plans to restore this Depression-era regulation, Republicans have taken action. We introduced the Broadcaster Freedom Act that would take the power to restore the Fairness Doctrine away from this or any future President, and we filed a discharge petition to force an up or down vote. But in 245 days, not one single House Democrat has signed the discharge petition for broadcast freedom. I offer my Democrat colleagues this respectful challenge. If you cherish freedom, you cherish the freedom of the press. If you cherish the airwaves of America, left, right and center, let's make this Fourth of July Radio Independence Day. Sign the discharge petition for broadcast freedom by Independence Day.