Ted Poe

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, the IRS targeted, intimidated, and harassed many Americans because of their political philosophy. The people are still waiting for answers about why their government is engaged in this Soviet-style behavior. First, 2 years of emails were lost. Now we learn that the IRS purposely used an internal messaging system--an office communication server--on the sly. They opted not to archive these messages and kept them secret from the eyes of the citizens and Congress. In one email Lois Lerner apparently was told the messaging system was not archived. Her response? ``Perfect.'' So we will never know what was in those messages that were intentionally scrubbed. There is a pattern here. The Secretary of State was conducting official business on her own untraceable secret email server, and the taxman used its own ``go dark system'' to evade transparency. It is just another day with the ``most transparent administration in history.'' Mr. Speaker, the public has a right to know and get answers to all these scandals. After years of stonewalling, it is painfully obvious that this administration will not investigate this administration. And that is just the way it is.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, Amanda Jones was kidnapped in Dallas, Texas. She was 15 years of age, and then she was sold for sex at the hands of human traffickers. Children right here in the United States are bought and sold for sexual exploitation in urban, suburban, and rural areas. Their souls are stolen from them, and no community is immune. Amanda was in slavery for 9 years. She eventually escaped with her daughter and, thankfully, found services through a new wonderful organization in Dallas, New Friends New Life. New Friends New Life is primarily funded by Dallas donors, and it provides services to victims to address their unique needs. It helps them rebuild their lives. Amanda now helps other trafficked victims become survivors instead of victims. We need more programs like this one, where survivors help each other. Now, through funding in the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act, more services will be available to victims like Amanda. We can stop traffickers in their tracks because our children are not for sale, in our town, in our State, or in our country. And that is just the way it is.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, an armistice was signed 62 years ago today to signify the official end of the Korean war. It was July 27, 1953. This first conflict of the cold war occurred when communist North Korea invaded South Korea 3 years earlier. The defense of South Korea was supposedly a U.N. action, but as history shows, the United States, unprepared for this war, took the brunt of the fighting, along with the South Koreans. In the end, the war resulted in a cease-fire until both sides could ``find a peaceful settlement.'' No settlement has ever occurred. This war has been referred to as ``the forgotten war.'' It is barely mentioned in our textbooks. Over 50,000 Americans were killed; 1,700 of them were from Texas. Thirteen Texans went above and beyond the call of duty in Korea. They received the Congressional Medal of Honor for their valor. Ten of them were killed in combat. Major George Andrew Davis, Jr., United States Air Force. While flying his F-86 Sabrejet, he and his wingman attacked 12 MIGs to protect a squadron of U.S. bombers. After shooting down two MIGs, he continued the fight until he was killed. His actions resulted in the U.S. bombers successfully completing their mission. Staff Sergeant Ambrosio Guillen, United States Marine Corps, was killed 2 days before the cease-fire. He turned an overwhelming enemy attack into a disorderly retreat while supervising the defense of his position, the treatment, and evacuation of the wounded. Private First Class Jack G. Hanson, United States Army. While covering the withdrawal of his fellow soldiers, Hanson, alone, manned his machinegun to stop the enemy attack. He was later found surrounded by 22 of the enemy dead. His machinegun and pistol were empty and his hand clutched his machete. Hospital Corpsman John E. Kilmer, United States Navy. In helping defend a vital hill position during an assault, he braved enemy fire to aid the wounded and was killed while shielding a wounded marine with his own body. Corporal Benito Martinez. Electing to remain at his post during an attack, he inflicted numerous casualties against an enemy onslaught and refused to be rescued because of the danger involved to his other fellow troops. His stand enabled troops to attack and regain the terrain. He was in the United States Army. First Lieutenant Frank N. Mitchell, United States Marine Corps, led a hand-to-hand struggle to repel the enemy, led a party to search for the wounded, and singlehandedly covered the withdrawal of his men before being fatally shot. Private First Class Whitt L. Moreland, United States Marine Corps. During an attempt to neutralize an enemy bunker, he covered an oncoming grenade with his own body. His self-sacrifice saved the lives of his fellow Marines. Second Lieutenant George H. O'Brien, Jr., United States Marine Corps. While wounded during an attack against a hostile enemy, he refused to be evacuated and continued in the assault. He set up a defense, aided the wounded, and covered the withdrawal so no one was left behind. Corporal Charles F. Pendleton, United States Army. He was mortally wounded by a mortar burst while heroically manning a machinegun and carbine during multiple waves of enemy attacks. First Lieutenant James L. Stone, United States Army, led his troops in a last-ditch stand of a vital outpost. He exposed himself to enemy fire to direct his platoon. When the final overwhelming assault swept over their position, a mortally wounded Lieutenant Stone urged his men to continue the fight. Master Sergeant Travis E. Watkins, United States Army, led 30 men of his unit when surrounded by the enemy. Through his leadership, a small force of those 30 men destroyed nearly 500 of the enemy before abandoning their position. A paralyzed Sergeant Watkins refused his evacuation, as his condition would slow down his comrades. Corporal Victor Espinoza, United States Army. During an attack, he singlehandedly destroyed an enemy machinegun, mortar position, two bunkers, and tunnel, taking a heavy toll on the enemy, with at least 14 dead and 11 others wounded. Master Sergeant Mike C. Pena, United States Army. After ordering his men to fall back during a fierce attack, he manned a machinegun to cover their withdrawal. He singlehandedly held back the enemy until the next morning, when his position was overrun and he was killed. Mr. Speaker, 62 years later, on this day, we remember the sacrifices of these Texas Medal of Honor recipients and other Americans in the forgotten war. The Korean War Memorial down the street appropriately depicts 38 uniformed Americans moving silently in the brutal cold and rough terrain in some forgotten place, in a forgotten war, in Korea. Mr. Speaker, let us forget this unforgettable war no more. And that is just the way it is.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I have asked people on my Facebook page what they think about the Iranian deal. Here are a few of the 300 responses. Tammy says: Why were our hostages left out of the negotiation? Why even trust Iran at all to live up to the deal when they hate America? John says: Why are there no American inspectors? Why no instant inspections? Jacob says: Why are they doing a deal with the world's number one state sponsor of terrorism? This used to be called treason. Carlos says: Ask them if they remember who Neville Chamberlain was and his policy toward Nazi Germany. Giving into Iran has a very similar overtone to what Chamberlain and the world did back then. Adam says: 24 days' notice, no USA inspectors, no prisoners coming home? No inspection of their most lucrative site? China and Russia can sell them weapons? Mr. Speaker, the American public wants some candid answers. Tomorrow Mr. Kerry will testify before our Foreign Affairs Committee. Time for some frank, no-double-talk answers from the administration on this Iranian deal. And that is just the way it is.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, it seems the Iranians are not the only ones we can't trust. Apparently, there are some secret side deals with Iran concerning inspections of their nukes. The administration conveniently withheld this from Congress. Susan Rice said: These documents are not public, but nonetheless, we have been briefed on those documents. We know their contents. We are satisfied with them, and we will share the contents of those briefings in full in a classified session with the Congress, so there is nothing in that regard that we know that they won't know. Let me get this straight. We are supposed to trust the person who lied to the American people on national television about Benghazi? Mr. Speaker, what else are they hiding? Maybe the details of the side deal are stored on a server somewhere. We know we can't trust the Iranians to follow the deal. Now, we can't trust the administration to let us know what is in the deal. Let's hope these secret side deals are not as hard to get a hold of as the former Secretary of State's emails. And that is just the way it is.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, The Wildlife Conservation Society is doing great work to save wildlife and wild places. The public knows more about wildlife today than they have at any other point in history. New technology like Go-Pro cameras can be put on top of birds to track their migration patterns and see how they deal with their young in the nest. Scientists can dive deeper into the oceans than ever before and are discovering new species that have not been identified. But with all this knowledge and fancy technology, in 2015 animals are still becoming extinct. The situation for elephants and rhinos is bad. The elephant population in Tanzania has dropped by 60 percent in just the last 5 years. A total of only five northern white rhinos are left in the world today. A big reason why is money. The black-market price of ivory in Africa is over $1,000 per pound. Rhino horn is now worth about $27,000 per pound. That's twice the value of gold and platinum and more than cocaine or diamonds. When a person lives on less than $2 a day like many of the poachers do, that's a lot of money. Poachers are willing to risk getting caught or even shot because the payday is just too big. One rhino horn is enough for them to support their whole family for a year. That might be why some locals in the community refer to ``rhinos'' simply as ``billions''. In all, the illegal wildlife trade is estimated as a $10-20 billion per year business. It is not just low level poachers getting most of the profits. Transnational criminal organizations and terrorist groups are getting billions of dollars a year from this business. Al-Shabab [al-Shah-Bob] and Joseph Kony's the LRA are two examples. The same groups that traffick elephant ivory and rhino horn also traffick drugs and weapons. So this isn't just a wildlife problem. It is a national security problem. Currently, I have been working with my colleagues on the Foreign Affairs committee to make sure the U.S. government is doing everything we can to stop wildlife trafficking. Part of the solution is understanding the problem. Ranking Member on my Terrorism Subcommittee, Mr. Keating and I have amended the Intelligence Authorization bill to require the Director of National Intelligence to produce a report on wildlife trafficking, how terrorist organizations are involved, and its impact on U.S. national security. In addition to this a GAO study is being conducted to evaluate the job being done so far at trying to stop wildlife trafficking. Both of these should help us understand the problem better. I'm happy to be an original cosponsor of Chairman Royce's bill to encourage countries to work together on this problem and elevate wildlife trafficking as a predicate offense under racketeering and money laundering statutes. It is a strong bipartisan bill that I hope is passed into law soon. Working together will stop wildlife trafficking in its tracks. In the 1950s there were only a few hundred white rhino left in the world. Thanks to the work of people like Ian Player, today there are over 15,000. The threat has been beaten back before and it can be done again. And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, the President has announced he has reached a nuclear deal with Iran. Some of my Texas constituents have contacted me because they are worried about this dangerous and irresponsible ``deal.'' Thomas Davis of Houston wrote, ``We must not finance terrorism or in any way support Iran's gaining nuclear weapons.'' Thomas is rightfully concerned. Since Iran will soon receive billions of dollars, they can continue to sponsor their terrorist groups worldwide. Also, the deal legitimizes Iran's nuclear weapon program development in 10 years. Thomas continues, ``I also urge you to disregard the U.N.'s premature acceptance, as they do not accept something for us or authorize spending of our funds. If their action does give Iran funds from an account we supplement, then defund that account.'' Wise words from citizen Thomas Davis. Giving the U.N. the first say on the nuclear deal and not Congress was misguided. The U.N. vote of approval will not intimidate me into voting for this deal. This deal will make the world less safe, less free, and make Iran a world nuclear weapon power. Isn't that lovely. And that is just the way it is.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, the Iranian nuclear deal has been approved by the U.N. Security Council by a vote of 15-0. But wait. Isn't Congress supposed to vote on approval or disapproval to make it binding on America? Yes. But the administration, ignoring Congress' future vote, went to get the U.N. approval anyway. But this deal is bad for the world and the United States. The United States foreign policy used to be that Iran would never have nuclear weapons. That has changed. This deal legitimizes nuclear weapon development in 10 years. It allows the lifting of conventional arms embargo in 5 years. It allows Iran to develop ICBM capacity in 8 years. It immediately gives Iran billions of dollars, money that I believe will be used to give to terrorist groups, since Iran is the number one state sponsor of terrorism in the world. Mr. Speaker, the United Nations doesn't control my vote. The people of Texas do. The people I represent think this is a bad deal and don't want the United States to be a part of this Iranian nuclear weapon development fiasco. And that is the way I will vote, whether the U.N. or the administration likes it or not. And that is just the way it is.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, a gunman with a heart fatally bent on mischief and with malice aforethought unleashed hell in Chattanooga last Thursday. The killer shot up an Armed Forces recruiting center and then drove to a Navy Reserve center and continued his shooting spree. Five warriors were caught in the gunman's furious rampage and were killed. The killer, who once followed an al Qaeda cleric online, wounded three others. To kill the very people who devote their lives to keeping our country safe is ironically and tragically sad. They were fathers, boyfriends, sons, brothers, and friends whose lives were robbed. The fallen were: Gunnery Sergeant Thomas J. Sullivan, United States Marine Corps. He was from Massachusetts. Tommy, as his buddies and family called him, was deployed twice during the Iraq war and received two Purple Hearts. He had been enlisted for almost 18 years. The Sullivan family owns a local bar and restaurant in Springfield, Massachusetts, and pictures of red, white, and blue ribbons memorialize the veteran on the restaurants's Facebook page. He was an avid Boston sports fan who loved Boston-based bands and musicians. A friend said: ``He was a short guy, but his personality was a lot bigger than his height. You couldn't just not like Tom.'' He was 41. Lance Corporal Squire ``Skip'' Wells, United States Marine Corps. He was from Cobb County, Georgia, and the service was in his blood. He was a student attending Georgia Southern University when he decided to follow in the footsteps of his family and enlist. God and country flowed deep in his veins. On Thursday, Skip had been texting with his girlfriend of 2\1/2\ years about her upcoming visit to Chattanooga. The last text he sent her was two words in capitalized letters that read, ``active shooter.'' She tried desperately to reach him, but she did not learn about the murders until the next day. He was in his early twenties. Sergeant Carson A. Holmquist, United States Marine Corps. A patriotic outdoorsman from a small town in Grantsburg, Wisconsin, he joined the Marines right out of high school and was taken to the battlefields in a foreign land. He was deployed to Afghanistan twice as part of Operation Enduring Freedom. It was reported that he was so proud of being a marine that, when he finished boot camp, he went right back to the small town of Grantsburg to visit his high school, dressed in his Marine uniform. He and his wife had a young son and were expecting another. He was 25. Staff Sergeant David A. Wyatt, United States Marine Corps. He was a native of Russellville, Arkansas. He was a husband and a father. He served one tour of duty in Iraq and one in Afghanistan. He was described as a leader, a mentor, quick to help, and was easy to approach. Wyatt was a father who was overjoyed about the upcoming birth of his second child. He also planned to serve at least 20 years in the military. He was 35. Petty Officer Second Class Randall Smith, United States Navy. He was a former high school baseball star from Paulding, Ohio, joined the Navy in 2010. He was a pitcher for the Paulding High School Panthers, and he accepted a scholarship to play baseball at Defiance College in Ohio. After a shoulder injury, Smith decided to forego sports and serve his Nation. He was a father and a husband. He had three little girls. According to his Facebook page, he was a passionate sports fan. He was passionate about the United States Women's Soccer team and their World Cup win. He had even a love for the Houston Astros. He was 26. Good men, good warriors, good Americans--all died before their time. This was a senseless and callous act of hate. Even though these military facilities in Chattanooga are riddled with bullet holes, they are still a steadfast symbol of the patriotism of our military. There are not enough tears or words to convey the sorrow that has engulfed this Nation. These volunteers that serve our country are the best that this Nation has, and we continue to mourn their loss and pray for their families and friends. Ronald Reagan said it best: ``We will always remember. We will always be proud. We will always be prepared, so we may always be free.'' The Chattanooga 5. And that is just the way it is.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Chairman Royce and Ranking Member Engel. Also, I want to thank the cosponsors of this legislation--as mentioned earlier, it is an equal number of Republicans and Democrats--but especially Brad Sherman and William Keating on the minority side. Mr. Speaker, in 2015, the Director of National Intelligence, James Clapper, said that 180 Americans have tried to go fight in Syria, either for ISIS, Al Nusra, or some other Islamic extremist group. There may be more; we don't know. Americans citizens fighting for ISIS in Syria and Iraq are real, dangerous threats to the United States. These individuals are receiving training that makes them capable of sophisticated terrorist attacks, and they put themselves under the command and control of leaders in foreign places and leaders who want to attack the United States. This is not unique to the United States. As the chairman has mentioned earlier, the West--European countries--have this as a tremendous problem where their citizens go and fight in Syria; they are trained, and they come back and cause havoc in these countries in the West. It is not a hypothetical threat in the U.S., either. Moner Mohammad Abusalha was the first American to carry out a suicide bomb attack in Syria. Before he did so, he returned home to Florida as a fully trained terrorist. Our government had absolutely no idea. He was also a card- carrying member of al Qaeda, aligned to the Al Nusra front. Fortunately, he did not carry out an attack on the United States, but he could have. Last September, ISIS announced a shift in strategy. Instead of using Americans to win in Syria, it called upon Americans to attack the United States after being trained in Syria. In an audiotape, one of their leaders was heard saying: ``Rig the roads with explosives for them. Attack their bases. Raid their homes. Cut off their heads.'' He is talking about Americans killing Americans who have been radicalized by ISIS. Earlier this year, Mr. Speaker, a 23-year-old Somali American man from Columbus was indicted on charges of supporting terrorists. He was trained in Syria and told by a cleric to go back to the United States and carry out an attack. That is the first time we have caught someone who was specifically told to go back home and attack the United States. These traitors who have turned against America and joined the ranks of foreign radical terrorist armies should not be allowed to come back in to the United States, unless it is in handcuffs. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 237, the Foreign Terrorist Organization Passport Revocation Act, is a critical bill at a critical time. This bipartisan bill grants the Secretary of State the authority to revoke or deny U.S. passports of individuals who support designated foreign terrorist organizations. Mr. Speaker, the Supreme Court has ruled in Haig v. Agee that the Secretary of State has the authority to revoke a passport when the national security of the United States is threatened. We are not talking about citizenship; we are talking about revocation of a passport. This bill does not deal with the issue of citizenship. Finally, Mr. Speaker, there is a due process available for those who wish to challenge the Secretary of State's decision. Under existing regulations, a person is entitled to a hearing within 60 days of receiving notice that that passport is being revoked. Foreign fighters are flowing into Iraq and Syria by the thousands. Some of them are Americans. We must stop these outlaws from coming back to the United States and committing crimes against us. And that is just the way it is.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, there is a cultural and religious cleansing sweeping across the Middle East. ISIS has made it clear that there is no compromise on religion. It is intolerant of any religious belief different than its own. If a person is not a Muslim, they are forced to pay a tax, convert, or be executed. In the face of this ugly terrorist group that preaches hate, Christians are persecuted. But ISIS is just one example of groups that are intolerant of Christians. Egypt is a hotbed of persecution of Coptic Christians. Some people thought after the fall of Mubarak, things would get better, but that hasn't been true for Coptic Christians. A schoolteacher told a Coptic teenager to hide his cross that was on his necklace. He wouldn't do so, so the teacher encouraged the class to punish the boy to protect the name of Allah. His classmates beat him to death. He died because he was a Christian. A mere rumor that a Muslim girl was dating a Christian boy led to church burnings and a curfew for Christians. Since 2011, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom has deemed Egypt a ``country of particular concern.'' In 2013, the Muslim Brotherhood blamed Coptic Christians for the downfall of President Morsi, even though it was the majority of the Egyptians that were tired of Morsi's oppressive rule. So Muslim mobs battered their way into an Orthodox church south of Cairo, tore down the cross, and torched the building. After they looted the church, they set the church on fire with Molotov cocktails and gasoline. When they left, they spray-painted a nearby wall with the words, ``Egypt is Islamic.'' In all, over 40 Christian churches were destroyed or damaged in Egypt. Like the Nazi marking of Jewish homes, black Xs are painted on Christian stores so attackers know which shops to target. Dozens of houses, shops, hotels, and vehicles belonging to Christians have been burned and looted. The military said it would help rebuild churches that were destroyed, but the law requires non-Muslim places of worship to receive Presidential approval before rebuilding a church; and of course, Presidential approval is very difficult to obtain. So this is the government's way of stopping construction of Christian churches across Egypt. The government is still not protecting Coptic Orthodox Christians and their churches. Coptic Christians are often treated as second-class citizens by the government. Bishoy Boulous was charged with blasphemy, or ``defaming Islam,'' in 2009 because he wanted to change his religion on his national identity card from Muslim to Christian. You see, Mr. Speaker, in Egypt you have to put your religious affiliation on your identification card. After receiving multiple threats, his wife and his children were forced to flee the country. The prosecutors have ignored court deadlines for his trial, and he remains in prison today. President el-Sisi has staked his legacy on the fight against terrorism, ISIS, and the Muslim Brotherhood. Ensuring human rights for Christians must be given the same priority. Four years after the so-called Arab Spring, attacks against Christians have not stopped. In February, 21 Egyptian Coptic Christians were beheaded by ISIS. The brutal mass murder was filmed in a 5-minute, highly produced video and disseminated by ISIS' propaganda arm. When their relatives got permission from the President of Egypt to build a church in the memory of the martyrs, they were attacked by rock- throwing radical mobs. Coptic Christians just want to be left alone and worship and exercise their religion. They want to be able to gather on Sunday without fearing the church they are in will be bombed or burned. They want to live in peace without having to hide from radical, intolerant mobs ready to attack them. These are not unreasonable requests. They are basic freedoms. Our ally, Egypt, must do a better job of protecting all religious groups. Religious freedom is a human right. We guarantee in our First Amendment, and, Mr. Speaker, it is the first right of the five rights mentioned in the First Amendment. That placement is not accidental. The right to practice one's religion is a basic human right. Egypt should protect all religious groups, including Coptic Christians, from religious cleansing. And that is just the way it is.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, the Federal Government is hoarding American land. The bureaucrats own about 640 million acres of it. That is 27 percent of America, larger than all of Western Europe. The government cannot afford this massive estate. Notice this map. All the red area is what the Federal Government owns. Over half the West is owned by the Federal Government. Day by day, unused and unmaintained land sits idle. Instead of Uncle Sam hoarding this land, the government should consider selling the land to Americans. To be clear, I am not talking about selling off national parks, monuments, forests, or protected areas--just unused land and unmaintained land the government doesn't take care of. The revenue from the sales could go toward reducing the debt or improving transportation. Plus, the sale of land would help State and local governments because new property owners will be paying taxes on the land. Time for the Federal Government to let Americans own more of America. Does Uncle Sam really need all of this land? And that is just the way it is.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, Texas A&M University has recently announced the new Texas A&M-Chevron Engineering Academies at two year colleges across Texas, including Houston Community College. This allows more students to receive a high quality engineering degree. The Texas Workforce Commission projects that by 2022 the state of Texas will need 62,000 more engineers, and this program is one of the ways Texas is going to get there. In this program, students can complete their first two years of core classes at HCC and be granted full emission into Texas A&M to complete their major specific classes. Students will be able to learn in smaller environments for a fraction of the price. It combines the best from both schools, the atmospheres and learning setting. HCC already offers a wide variety of engineering majors, and now with A&Ms majors available to them, the possibilities for these students are endless. Texas A&M is one of the top engineering programs not only in the state of Texas, not only in the country, but the world. Much like the 19th century British empire, the sun never sets in Aggieland, for they have campuses set all over the world. Houston Community College has 60,000 students annually and serves Houston as one of the top schools to earn a degree from. This partnership is ensuring that more students have access to a top engineering education and the connections they make through this will benefit not only them, but our future economy and industrial developments throughout the world. And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, while the Ayatollah has preached ``Death to America,'' the United States and the West have made a deal with the deceitful wolf of the desert. Iran promises to temporarily cut back and not continue its nuclear weapon development capability. Then Iran will receive sanction relief. It will be able to export oil and receive billions of dollars in cash. In 5 years, the embargo on most conventional weapons against Iran will be lifted. In 8 years, Iran will be able to import ICBMs. In 10 years, the deal expires and Iran can develop nuclear weapons, thus legitimizing the number one state sponsor of terrorism and allowing it to be a nuclear weapons power. This is dangerous. This will start a nuclear arms race. Israel will be less safe. So will America. In theory, this deal is supposed to give us ``peace in our time,'' to coin a phrase. But Iran is a wolf in wolf's clothing, and the wolf has made a deal with the sheep not to eat them for 10 years. Then what? Supper? And that is just the way it is.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, the Houston Police Headquarters will soon be renamed in honor of the retired Senior Police Officer Edward Alfred Thomas, a fitting tribute to his lifelong service to the city of Houston. Police Officer Edward Alfred Thomas, also known as ``Mr. Thomas'' around the station, has provided 65 years of service as an officer to the Houston Police Department. Officer Thomas served the Houston Police Department from January 12, 1948 to July 23, 2011. His accomplishments are numerous and include The 100 Club, Officer of the Year, the Lifetime Achievement Award, and a Chief of Police Commendation. Officer Thomas served nearly 20 years prior to the Civil Rights Movement and was one of the first African-American police officers to integrate into the Houston Police Department. Fellow officers declare that Officer Thomas has been an incredible example of perseverance, courage, and duty to the Houston Police Force. Several organizations support the proposal to name the Police Headquarters in Officer Thomas's honor such as the African American Police Officer League (AAPOL), Houston Police Officer's Union (HPOU), the Houston Organization of Public Employees (HOPE), and Houston Police Organization of Spanish Speaking Officers (OSSO). The City Council unanimously approved the proposal to name the Houston Police Headquarters in his honor on June 15, 2015. And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, the nuclear weapon agreement with Iran is near. The deal will lift crude oil export sanctions on Iran. This will be a billion-dollar boom to the world's largest state sponsor of terrorism. Meanwhile, here in America, the administration bans exporting our own crude oil. We can't even export Texas light crude oil to our closest neighbor, Mexico. The administration has within its power to lift the crude oil export ban. The ban hurts the U.S. economy. Thousands of oil industry workers have been laid off. Half the drilling rigs in Texas have been shut down. This administration seems to be more worried about making Iran happy and wealthy than helping the U.S. economy by creating energy jobs. Why can't America get the same deal that Iran is getting? While the administration lifts the sanctions on Iranian exports, it should lift the oil export sanctions on America. And, Mr. Speaker, Texas will even agree not to enrich uranium or develop nuclear sanctions if the sanctions are lifted. And that is just the way it is.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, we are quickly approaching the 100th anniversary of the United States' entrance into World War One; A war in which Texans played a critical role. From the fields of Flanders and trenches of France, to the towns of Germany and bases on the home front, 200,000 Texans proudly served in the Armed Forces during the First World War, between 1917 and 1919; They went to a land they had never been and died for people they did not know. 5,000 Texans gave their lives. Boys who grew up on farms in Texas suddenly became men as they found themselves in the muddy, rainy, and bloody trenches an ocean away. Life in the trenches was hard. Men were constantly bombarded with artillery and machine gun fire. And they often faced the danger of going over the trenches and crossing no man's land, trying to repel the enemy forces attempting the same. In the midst of battle and in the face of the enemy, some men displayed tremendous gallantry and were awarded medals for their actions. Four of the brave souls awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for their actions were from the great State of Texas. Daniel R. Edwards, born in Mooreville, Texas, was a Private First Class in the U.S. Army on July 18, 1918. His citation reads that on that day near Soissons, France ``. . . he crawled alone into an enemy trench for the purpose of capturing or killing enemy soldiers . . . He killed 4 of the men and took the remaining 4 men prisoners.'' While taking them to the rear, an artillery shell shattered one of Edwards' legs. For his actions that day, Pfc. Edwards received the Medal of Honor. David E. Hayden was born in Florence, Texas. He served as a Hospital Apprentice First Class in the U.S. Navy serving with the Marines. On September 15th, 1918, near Thiaucourt, France his brave actions earned him the Medal of Honor. His citation reads, ``During the advance, when [his comrade in arms] was mortally wounded while crossing an open field swept by machinegun fire, Hayden unhesitatingly ran to his assistance and, finding him so severely wounded as to require immediate attention, disregarded his own personal safety to dress the wound under intense machinegun fire, and then carried the wounded man back to a place of safety.'' Samuel M. Sampler was born in Decatur, Texas. On October 8, 1918, near St. Etienne, France, the young U.S. Army Corporal became the third Texan in WWI to earn the Medal of Honor. When his company suffered severe casualties during an advance under machinegun fire, ``Cpl. Sampler detected the position of the enemy machineguns . . . Armed with German handgrenades, which he had picked up, he left the line and rushed forward in the face of heavy fire until he was near the hostile nest, where he grenaded the position. His third grenade landed among the enemy, killing 2, silencing the machineguns, and causing the surrender of 28 Germans, who he sent to the rear as prisoners. As a result of his act the company was immediately enabled to resume the advance.'' These three Texans who earned the Medal of Honor were among the ones who survived the war. A fourth Texan also earned the Medal of Honor during WWI, but gave his life during the actions for which he earned the medal posthumously. David B. Barkley, of Hispanic descent, was born in 1899 in Laredo, Texas. His father was in the U.S. Army and his mother was a Mexican- American native of South Texas. David enlisted in the Army before his 18th birthday. Not long after, he was sent to the frontlines in France. On November 9, 1918, Private Barkley's actions went above and beyond the call of duty. His Medal of Honor citation reads: ``When information was desired as to the enemy's position on the opposite side of the Meuse River, Pvt. Barkley, with another soldier, volunteered without hesitation and swam the river to reconnoiter the exact location. He succeeded in reaching the opposite bank, despite the evident determination of the enemy to prevent a crossing. Having obtained his information, he again entered the water for his return, but before his goal was reached, he was seized with cramps and drowned.'' David Barkley's body was not returned home until 1921. His body was laid in state at the Alamo, ``The Cradle of Texas Freedom,'' making him the second person to ever receive that honor, and then buried in San Antonio National Cemetery. His brave actions were acknowledged at home and abroad. He received medals from France and Italy; an elementary school in San Antonio was named in his honor; and, in 1941, Camp Barkley, a WWII Army installation, was named after him. In 1989, the Army recognized Private Barkley as the first Hispanic Medal of Honor recipient. Private Barkley, and the other Medal of Honor recipients from Texas, proudly served their state and country during the First World War, and they will forever be remembered for their brave actions. 100 years later we still remember the Texas boys of WWI, those that served and returned, those that served and returned with the wounds of war, and those that served and did not return. And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, the Department of Justice is failing rape victims. Across America, an estimated 400,000 untested rape kits sit on shelves. Government officials long blamed a lack of resources to test the kits; so Congress fixed this problem in the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act, VAWA, as it is called. VAWA included the Sexual Assault Forensic Evidence Reporting Act, or SAFER, which allows and mandates that 75 percent of Debbie Smith DNA Backlog Grant funds go directly to test the long backlog of rape kits. The bottom line, money has been allocated to fund the backlog of 400,000 rape kits. Funds are required to be made available for audits, so we could find the true number of languishing kits throughout different States and then test them. The goal of SAFER was to ensure that no rape kit went untested, so all victims had answers and all rapists were brought to justice; yet, Mr. Speaker, it has been 2 years. Kits remain in basements on dusty shelves, and nothing has changed. The money is there; the law is written, but the DOJ, the Department of Justice, shamelessly ignores this mandate leaving sexual assault victims waiting for justice. Meanwhile, untested rape kits create an unfair treatment of victims. One thing it does is it allows the guilty outlaws to go free and prevents the innocent from being exonerated. Also, the statute of limitations may expire. Then, when the criminal is captured, he may escape justice because the kit was analyzed too long after the crime was committed. That is a travesty of justice. It is an insult and shameful treatment of sexual assault victims. To quote an old legal maxim, ``the criminal goes free because the constable has blundered'' or, in this case, the constable is incompetent. Without this SAFER Act, which allowed the implementation of funds to analyze backlogs of rape kits, we would still be in a problem that we had 2 years ago. But these funds are available for the States to analyze and get the kits tested. Once tested, the results would allow the apprehension of criminals. This is not occurring. The Department of Justice has yet to even offer the SAFER audit grants to the States. The DOJ cannot show that 75 percent of the funds are going to direct testing and lab capacity enhancement, as required by the law. To give rape victims justice, DNA often holds the critical key and the only key to learning the identity of the perpetrators. Without this, justice is often delayed or denied forever. Ignoring SAFER is an affront to sexual assault victims. Mr. Speaker, victims deserve to know who assaulted them. They need to know for peace of mind. It is mental turmoil for rape victims not to know the identity of the perpetrator while sometimes they still fear for their own safety. A rape kit DNA test may prove to be their best and last and only hope in knowing the identity of the rapist. Bureaucrats should do their job. Quit making excuses for not implementing the law. In my 30 years as a prosecutor and criminal court judge, I talked to and met a lot of sexual assault victims. Sexual assault, or rape, is, to me, the worst crime in society. And rape victims, more than anything else, want to know who did it. They want to know who did it. We have the capability of helping rape victims know who the perpetrator in 400,000 cases. Why aren't we doing it? Not knowing the identity of a rapist is haunting to their victims. It is traumatizing. And to know that the rapist still may be on the loose because the testing kit was not done is inexcusable incompetence. Each day that goes by, we are running out the clock on the statute of limitations, increasing the chance that criminals may escape the long arm of the law. It is time to analyze the 400,000 rape kits and capture the rapists. The Department of Justice must live up to its name. Enforce the SAFER Act and follow the law. The Department of Justice must ensure justice for victims. Until then, many rape victims see no justice. Our country deserves better; sexual assault victims deserve better; and, Mr. Speaker, justice deserves better. Because, justice is what we do in this country. And that is just the way it is.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, the Humble Independent School District (ISD) was named the 2015 Large District winner of the H-E-B Excellence in Education Awards program. H-E-B is a state-wide grocery chain in Texas. Humble ISD competed alongside six large districts statewide to win the cash prize of $100,000 and the title of 2015 H-E-B Large District Winner. The H-E-B Excellence in Education Award recognizes the outstanding teachers, principals, and students of Humble ISD. Humble ISD has announced that they will dedicate the $100,000 award to innovative education grants which are awarded to teachers through the Humble ISD Education Foundation. As a former teacher, and husband and father of teachers, I understand the hard work it takes to achieve such an honor. Congratulations to the outstanding students and teachers of Humble ISD. The people of the Humble and Houston community are fortunate to have such a school district. And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, today the terrorist army of ISIS is stronger than ever. It maims, rapes, pillages, burns, and beheads in its zeal to commit religious genocide against anyone who disagrees with them. ISIS controls and manipulates the minds of thousands of foreign fighters, including those who come from the United States. This is done arrogantly through American social media companies. The U.S.' answer to the ISIS threat? Well, let's see what it is. Part of the current U.S. strategy is to train foreign mercenaries to fight against ISIS. It has had a yearlong American budget of about $500 million. The program is to equally fund equipment and to train these so-called moderates from Syria to fight ISIS. I call them mercenaries. However, the Secretary of Defense of the United States--Carter-- admitted that, even after this 1 year of training, the United States has only trained 60--six, zero--of these moderate Syrian rebels. If I do my math correctly, Mr. Speaker, we are spending about $4 million apiece on these 60 fighters to go and fight, supposedly, ISIS. This is embarrassingly pathetic. The greatest nation that has ever existed sees ISIS as such a threat that we are going to send 60 folks over to try to take care of them. Ironically, there are more Americans who are fighting with ISIS than we have rebels who have been trained to fight against ISIS. The United States obviously is not taking ISIS seriously. ISIS even mocks the United States and its 60 fighters on, once again, American social media. There is more. The President has recently admitted that the United States really doesn't even have a complete strategy against ISIS. Now, isn't that lovely? The question is, Mr. Speaker: Is ISIS a national security threat to the United States? That is the question. That is the question that has to be answered by the administration and by Congress, and a decision needs to be made by the administration. It is time for the administration to pick a horse and ride it. If ISIS is a threat, then we must have a plan to defeat them, then actively implement the plan, and defeat ISIS. Mr. Speaker, the Commander in Chief needs to lead. He needs to command or ISIS will continue its reign of terror in the Middle East and in other parts of the world. And that is just the way it is.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, the President ``avoids the battle, complains, and misses opportunities.'' Those were the words of Leon Panetta, President Obama's former Secretary of Defense and CIA Director, in 2011. At the time, Panetta, along with military commanders and the Joint Chiefs of Staff, recommended that the United States leave 24,000 troops in Iraq to prevent that country from falling apart and becoming chaotic. According to Panetta, the administration was ``so eager to rid itself of Iraq that it was willing to withdraw rather than lock in arrangements that would preserve American influence and our interests.'' So the President ignored the advice of his own Secretary of Defense and top commanders and pulled troops out of Iraq in 2011. The timing, just before the 2012 Presidential election, to me, appeared to be based on the politics of political convenience, not our own national interests. In any event, what is taking place today in 2015? Enter the Islamic State, ISIS. ISIS took advantage of the power vacuum left by America's absence. So today ISIS is stronger than ever, spreading its reign of terror throughout the region. ISIS practices religious genocide against people that don't agree with it. They have redefined the term ``barbarian'' to an all new low. They rape, pillage, loot, behead, and burn those in this ISIS war against the world's people. ISIS not only controls a massive amount of territory in the Middle East, it also controls the minds of thousands of foreign fighters, many from the United States. It is a sophisticated criminal enterprise that uses any and all ways to recruit, fundraise, and spread terror. It even uses American social media companies to promote its cause. Through American companies like Twitter, ISIS is instantly and freely spreading its cancer of Islamic extremism to teenagers, recruiting them to join the jihad and then launch attacks on the streets of America. Since the President announced his campaign against ISIS, we have seen embarrassing results. Even the President admitted that the United States did not have a complete strategy. The ISIS terror has been going on for over a year and we don't have a plan to defeat them? This doesn't make a whole lot of sense. The United States must answer this question: Is ISIS a national security threat to us? If the answer is yes, then we must defeat them; and Congress needs to weigh in on this and make this decision. If we decide that ISIS is a national security threat, then, of course, we need strategy, a complete strategy. The administration's plan so far is to train mercenaries to fight ISIS. However, just this week, Secretary of Defense Carter admitted that the United States has trained, get this, 60 so-called moderate Syrian rebels to fight ISIS-- just 60. The $500 million program that was supposed to fund 3,000 fighters before the end of 2015 has trained 60. So if I do my math correctly, Mr. Speaker, we are spending about $8 million per fighter right now. That is abysmal. That is no way to fight and win a war against terror. Also, there are more Americans fighting with ISIS rebels than we have trained fighters to fight against ISIS. Meanwhile in Iraq, just 8,800 fighters have been trained to fight ISIS compared to the goal of 24,000. This administration's strategy to defeat ISIS seems to be in chaos. Even the Kurds want to do their own fighting, and they have asked us for military support. Our allies want to send direct aid to the Kurds, but the administration won't let them do that. They have to send it through Baghdad for some reason. It is time for the administration to stop being indecisively weak and do the obvious. It needs to lead in this war against ISIS, and it needs to listen to the commanders. The United States needs to act and have a plan to defeat this determined, well-financed enemy. It is a terrorist enterprise that is at war with us. And that is just the way it is.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Madam Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. POE of Texas. Madam Chair, this amendment takes $1 million out of the Forest Service land acquisition account and then, for technical reasons, inserts it back into the same account with the intent to identify unused land for potential sale. The United States Federal Government currently owns around 640 million acres of land. That is just a number. But that is 27 percent of the landmass in the United States, owned by Uncle Sam. That is the same size as all of Western Europe, if you can imagine that, that being 27 percent of the United States landmass. The Forest Service alone owns over 230 million acres of this Federal land. This amendment is very simple. All it does is to have the Federal Government examine the land that it has in its possession for the potential sale back to Americans so that Americans can own America. We are not talking about National Forests. We are not talking about the Grand Canyon. We are talking about unused land that is owned by the Federal Government. It will have the Federal Government go through that land--27 percent of the landmass in the country--and decide whether some of that might actually be better to be in the possession and the property of Americans so that, if Americans then own the land, that land in some State--like Utah--can then be developed by Americans, and then those people can pay taxes on the land that would go to the State of Utah, for example. Right now the land is unused. It is not able to be productive. So that is what this amendment would do: have the Forest Service study the possibility of selling some of that unused land back to the United States. I yield to the gentleman from California.

Mr. POE of Texas. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, on July 17, 2011, the United States Women's soccer team lost to Japan in the World Cup title match. It was a crushing defeat, one that motivated the Women's National Team. The World Cup is every 4 years, and the rematch this Sunday was one for the history books. Scoring the most goals in any World Cup final game, the United States Women's National Team earned their third World Cup championship. That is unprecedented. Just 16 minutes into the game, the U.S. center midfielder scored her third goal of the game. It was the hat trick seen around the world. The roar of the announcers echoed in living rooms across America. Twenty-five million people cheered on the USA, and a new American hero, Carli Lloyd, became a household name. The United States defeated Japan 5-2, as the Red, White, and Blue proudly waved over the field in Vancouver, Canada. Congratulations to the 2015 Women's National Team and to Coach Jill Ellis. The team motto, ``She Believes,'' made believers of the whole world. And that is just the way it is. Mr. Speaker, I insert the names of all of the players, their hometowns, and their jersey numbers into the Record. 2015 US Women's National Soccer Team Shannon Box--Redondo Beach, CA--7; Morgan Brian--St. Simons Island, GA--14; Lori Chalupny--St. Louis, MO--16; Whitney Engen--Rolling Hills Estates, CA--6; Ashlyn Harris--Satellite Beach, FL--18; Tobin Heath--Basking Ridge, NJ--17; Lauren Holiday--Indianapolis, IN--12; Julie Johnston--Mesa, AZ--19; Meghan Klingenberg--Gibsonia, PA--22; Ali Krieger--Dumfries, VA--11; Sydney Leroux--Scottsdale, AZ--2; Carli Lloyd-- Delran, NJ--10; Alex Morgan--Diamond Bar, CA--13; Alyssa Naeher--Bridgepoint, CT--21; Kelley O'Hara--Fayetteville, GA--5; Heather O'Reilly--East Brunswick, NJ--9; Christen Press--Palos Verdes Estates, CA--23; Christie Rampone--Point Pleasant, NJ--3; Megan Rapinoe--Redding, CA--15; Amy Rodriguez--Lake Forest, CA--8; Becky Sauerbrunn--St. Louis, MO--4; Hope Solo--Richland, WA--1; Abby Wambach--Rochester,