Hal Rogers

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. I yield 2 minutes to the chairman on our committee of the Subcommittee for Transportation and HUD, the gentleman from Iowa (Mr. Latham).

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Madam Speaker, I am prepared to close.

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. I yield 3 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Pence). (Mr. PENCE asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. I yield 1 minute to a member of our committee, and a good one, the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Dent).

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to another new member of our committee and a new Member of Congress; but he is doing a great job, the gentleman from Mississippi (Mr. Nunnelee).

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Brooks) a member of the Armed Services Committee.

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to one of my hardworking subcommittee chairmen on Appropriations, the chairman of the Interior Subcommittee, the gentleman from Idaho (Mr. Simpson).

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. I yield the gentlelady an additional 30 seconds.

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. May I inquire of the time remaining?

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Madam Speaker, I yield myself 30 seconds. Chairman Simpson a moment ago referred and reminded us that we're in this mess that we're in because the other side, when they controlled the House last year, failed to pass a single appropriations bill and left the mess in our hands when we took over in January. And now they are complaining about the way we're trying to clean up their mess. It reminds me a bit of Abraham Lincoln back in Illinois when he was practicing law spoke of a man who was accused of killing his parents, and in court made a plea that he was an orphan. I yield 2 minutes, Madam Speaker, to the chairman on the Financial Services Subcommittee on our full committee, the gentlelady from Missouri (Mrs. Emerson).

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to a member of our committee, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Carter).

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Madam Speaker, I wish to speak on the point of order.

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Madam Speaker, I move to table the motion.

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. I yield the gentleman an additional 30 seconds.

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Madam Speaker, may I inquire of the time remaining on both sides?

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Madam Speaker, insofar as the military is concerned, this is not a CR. This funds the Department for the balance of the year. The rest of the bill, of course, is the CR. I yield 3 minutes to the very hardworking chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, the gentleman from California (Mr. McKeon).

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise today to support H.R. 1363, the Department of Defense and Further Additional Continuing Appropriations Act, 2011. I ask my colleagues, Madam Speaker, to support this bill so that we can avoid a government shutdown and provide the necessary time to finally complete negotiations on a final funding agreement for the rest of the 2011 fiscal year. This bill funds government operations for 1 week while reducing spending by $12 billion. These cuts include funding rescissions, reductions, and program terminations from nearly all areas of the government. Virtually all of these cuts were also included in H.R. 1, and many were included in the President's budget requests, the Senate's alternative to H.R. 1, or the recent OMB CR proposal. Most importantly, Madam Speaker, this bill supports our troops and our national security by providing funding for our national defense for the remainder of this fiscal year. Our troops and their families deserve to have the financial security we promised them while we continue to work towards a final budget agreement. After months of uncertainty, it's high time we provide for our national security in a responsible way. This means commonsense funding that ensures the safety of our war fighters and the success of our missions abroad. However, while this legislation points us in the right direction on security and spending cuts, what we all want right now is to wrap up these negotiations, complete the process for 2011, and move our many other important legislative items onto the table. As I have said many times before, Madam Speaker, short-term measures like this are not the preferable way to fund the government. So while no one wants to fund the government in 1- or 2-week bursts, this short- term CR is what we must do to prevent a government shutdown and allow time to pass a smart and thoughtful bill for the rest of the year. Madam Speaker, coming into this Congress, the Democrats left us with a financial mess: soaring deficits, unchecked spending, and no budget, not a single appropriations bill for 2011. And now that we're 6 months into the fiscal year, the Senate Democrats have yet to produce any plan to help clean up this mess. Despite all the roadblocks we've faced throughout this process, we must continue down the path to fiscal solvency, and this CR both affords us the time required to complete negotiations as well as makes the spending cuts needed to continue to help balance our budgets. We are committed to making real spending cuts like these to reduce our deficits both now and in the future. We are determined to complete this work where Democrats failed to do so. While answering our constituents' calls to reduce excessive government spending, this bill provides time to negotiate in an honest way to do what is only right for our constituents, our Nation, and our financial future. Let's pass this bill and finally get this leftover work from last year behind us once and for all. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to a brand- new member of our committee, and a hardworking one at that, the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Austria).

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Madam Speaker, pursuant to the rule, I call up the bill (H.R. 1363) making appropriations for the Department of Defense for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2011, and for other purposes, and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. I would point out, Madam Speaker, that this bill would prevent a shutdown. This keeps the government operating. That's one aspect of it. I yield 3 minutes to the very distinguished chairman of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee and former chairman of the full committee, the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Young).

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 1363 and that I may include tabular material on the same.

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor, commend and congratulate Mr. Bill Samuels, Jr. as he retires from his post as president of Maker's Mark. The Commonwealth of Kentucky is known across the world for its horses as well as its whiskey, in no small part because of the expert craftsmanship and emphasis on quality of Mr. Samuels, following in the footsteps of the seven generations of bourbon distillers in his family. It is fitting that Mr. Samuels will say ``so long,'' though certainly not goodbye to his life's work, at the Thoroughbreds & Redheads event in conjunction with the Maker's Mark Mile race at Lexington's beautiful Keeneland racecourse. Mr. Samuels' storied career in Loretto is marked by a strong commitment to tradition and entrepreneurship. Maker's Mark is the product of the nation's oldest operating bourbon distillery, and during its celebrated history, its timeless quality has been recognized with numerous awards. But Mr. Samuels was unwilling to allow Maker's Mark to rest on its laurels. During his career, Mr. Samuels revitalized the brand by developing clever advertising marked by clean, stark design that accentuated his wit while adapting the culture of Kentucky for consumption across the United States and around the world. From a billboard in New York's financial district alluding to Maker's Mark's trademark wax with the slogan ``trickle-down economics'' to a print ad proclaiming ``If we could make it any faster, we wouldn't,'' Mr. Samuels' efforts are omnipresent, eye-catching, and memorable, transforming Maker's Mark into a thoroughly modern brand while bringing along a bit of Kentucky spirit. Under his apt stewardship, Maker's Mark has achieved a historic milestone by selling one million cases annually of what is perhaps Kentucky's best known export. The success of Maker's Mark is a reaffirmation of Kentucky's love of tradition, vibrant economy, and good taste. In his forty-four years tirelessly working to expand his family's business and better his community by producing a true Kentucky original, Mr. Samuels has captured the culture and heritage of the Commonwealth in the bourbon handcrafted in the fabled oak barrels of Marion County and has shared it with the world. I wish to congratulate Mr. Samuels upon his retirement for his decades of dedication as a global ambassador of our state and to wish him the best in whatever endeavors his future may hold.

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Jim Shackleford, the president of TECO Coal, in honor of his retirement after contributing more than 27 years to the TECO Energy subsidiary and thousands of families in the Appalachian coal fields. Jim Shackleford is both an astute businessman and a dedicated humanitarian. Under his watch, TECO Coal sales increased from an annual one million tons of coal for one utility, to annual sales of nine million tons of coal to third-party international and domestic customers. Mr. Shackleford's vision for TECO Coal amounted to hundreds of high-paying jobs across all six TECO Coal operations for families in central Appalachia. With a heart of compassion, Mr. Shackleford structured TECO Coal as a good steward of the communities in which it operates. He awarded thousands of dollars of donations to various community organizations, emergency response groups and schools. He established the TECO Coal Children's Fund to provide clothing and toys to about one thousand underprivileged youth each year. In addition, many families have food on the table, thanks to TECO's support of local food banks. Jim Shackleford's impeccable leadership skills have been coveted by organizations across southern and eastern Kentucky. He is a member of the Kentucky Coal Association board of directors and is a former chairman. He served as the former chairman of the board of the Whitley County Forward in the Fifth, was an advisory board member for Baptist Regional Medical Center and served on the Corbin Little League Board of Directors. I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring Jim Shackleford. I congratulate him on his retirement and wish him all the best in the years to come.

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the Pikeville College Bears for winning the 2011 NAIA Division I Men's Basketball Championship. Coach Kelly Wells masterfully guided the unseeded Cinderella team to earn the division crown. On March 22, 2011, the Bears defeated a talented team from Mountain State University, winning 83 to 76 in overtime. The team surpassed a number of expectations this season, setting a school-record with 30 wins and becoming the first unseeded team in NAIA history to beat five seeded teams for the championship title. The accomplishments of this team will be shared with pride in the mountains for generations to come. In addition, I commend Coach Kelly Wells on being named the National Coach of the Year and I congratulate the tournament's most valuable player, Trevor Setty, who finished the tournament with 108 points, including 18 three-point shots and 49 rebounds. I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring Coach Kelly Wells and the 2011 NAIA Division I Men's Basketball Champions. Coach Wells, his staff and his players displayed outstanding dedication, teamwork, unselfishness and sportsmanship throughout the course of the season in achieving this great honor. I congratulate them and wish them all the best in the years to come.