Hal Rogers

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Mr. Speaker, I rise, regrettably, today in opposition to the supplemental conference report before us, the first time I have risen in opposition to an appropriations conference report in more than 12 years. The Democratic side of the aisle and many of their liberal newspaper editors are intent on substituting their judgment for that of our professional, trained, experienced military leaders. I am reminded of a quote that I want to read to you, it's very brief, that speaks to this subject. I will tell you the author in just a moment. ``It appears we have appointed our worst generals to command forces, and our most gifted and brilliant citizens to edit newspapers. In fact, I discovered by reading newspapers that these editor geniuses plainly saw all my strategic defects from the start, yet failed to inform me until it was too late. Accordingly, I am readily willing to yield my command to these obviously superior intellects, and I will, in turn, do my best for the cause by writing editorials after the fact.'' Signed, Robert E. Lee. This Congress is made up of 535 lawyers, doctors and teachers, some with military experience, some without. It is not, however, made up of 535 military commanders who possess the ability to manage a war against al Qaeda. Yet that is what this conference report does. It enables over just half of 535 politicians to micromanage the war in Iraq against al Qaeda. Sadly, though, this is not the only reason to vote against this conference report. It's also full of billions of dollars in spending categorized as an emergency which undermines the true needs of our troops and gulf coast hurricane recovery efforts. Specifically for Homeland Security, the supplemental contains two categories of emergency funding, hurricane recovery and the global war on terrorism. Speaking to the hurricane recovery portion, this is a true 2007 emergency. FEMA needs these funds now to continue our commitment to the devastated gulf coast region and to ensure the disaster relief fund does not run dry in the middle of what experts are predicting will be an active hurricane season. I can only hope that in an effort to keep the overall exorbitant spending of the bill down, the majority has not shortchanged the true needs of this account. The global war on terrorism, part of this funding bill, is another story. While it contains many worthy and important items such as nuclear and explosive detection systems and additional aircraft for the northern border, things I have supported in the past and continue to support, they are in no way a 2007 emergency. In every instance, these items could and should be addressed in the regular 2008 appropriations bill. By including them in this 2007 emergency, the majority is simply trying to look strong on security and buy down requirements to free up funds in 2008 for additional spending. While I support homeland security spending, I support it in a fiscally responsible way. Mr. Speaker, it is not often that I have two such compelling reasons to vote against a bill: taking away authority to manage our war against al Qaeda from the military commanders, and carelessly adding billions of dollars in non-emergency spending. These are the very reasons we will be back here addressing these matters again in a couple of weeks after the President vetoes the bill. We should address these issues now, and stop the political gamesmanship that harms both our troops and the gulf coast recovery effort. This bill is nothing short of a cut-and-run in the fight against al Qaeda. I urge a ``no'' vote.

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the players and coaches of the 2006-2007 June Buchanan Crusaders basketball team. In Kentucky, basketball is something of an institution. It embodies a tremendous spirit of teamwork and dedication, and the Crusaders have shown that they possess both characteristics. The Bluegrass State is widely known for producing great basketball teams, and the June Buchanan Crusaders are no exception. Making it to the state tournament marks a tremendous milestone in their journey for excellence, and I am proud of their accomplishment. June Buchanan School is located in the small town of Pippa Passes, Kentucky and has 74 students in grades 9 through 12. After winning the regional championship in Southern Kentucky (26-6), the team is playing in the first round of the Kentucky state basketball tournament at Rupp Arena tonight. Madam Speaker, I want to congratulate the Crusaders for their tremendous success throughout the entire season and wish them the best in the boy's state basketball tournament. Through their hard work, determination, and skill they have made Southeastern Kentucky very proud. I ask each of my colleagues to join me in honoring the June Buchanan basketball team.

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Mr. Speaker, I thank the distinguished ranking member for yielding time. The supplemental before us today is a case study of what happens when one branch of the government tries to do the job assigned to another. It is hard to say what this will be known for, unconstitutional legislation that would allow Congress to micromanage a war, or a crude political compromise designed to win votes. One thing though is perfectly clear: The bill is a sham. Don't be fooled by the rhetoric you will hear today. The managers on the other side of the aisle will try to convince you that we are addressing pressing needs, providing critical resources for our troops in the field and other so-called disasters here at home. But make no mistake, the bill will only hamstring our troops, provide fodder for our enemies abroad, cause a disastrous and precipitous cut and run, and indescribable damage to America's reputation in the vital Mideast and worldwide. It also breaks the bank here at home by providing funds for pork- laden Democrat wish-lists. What does dollars for a spinach producer have to do with providing help for our troops in Iraq? What does money to a salmon farmer have to do with providing support for our troops in Iraq? What about aquaculture money? What has that got to do with troops in Iraq? And for those Members who have surrendered their better judgment for pork for their districts, the majority adds $2.5 billion in so-called emergency homeland security items to sweeten the pot. Don't get me wrong, many of the majority's homeland security adds are worthy and important items, such as nuclear and explosive detection systems and additional aircraft for the northern border, things I have supported in the past and continue to support, but they are in no way a 2007 emergency. They can be handled regularly in the 2008 bills. In every instance these bills could and should be addressed through the 2008 process. By including them as 2007 emergencies, the majority is simply trying to look strong on security and buy down requirements to free up funds in fiscal 2008 for additional spending. While I support homeland security spending, I support it in a fiscally responsible way. Let me turn to the real issue under debate today now. To the defense provisions that will cause the precipitous withdrawal of our forces from Iraq and take from a President his constitutional powers of Commander in Chief, there is a very good reason why our Founding Fathers gave the executive branch the responsibility to conduct war. The House of Representatives is made up of 435 individuals; lawyers, doctors, teachers, farmers, some with military experience, some without. It is not made up of 435 military commanders who possess the ability to manage a war. We have military professionals to do that. Why are we attempting to insert our military judgment, which can cause the death or injury of our troops, when we are neither trained nor skilled to do so? Leave the management of the war to the trained professionals who know what they are doing. If your aim is to end the war, and it is, this is the absolute wrong way to do it. The right way, bring forth a resolution or a bill to reverse the original authorization for the war. But as long as you have authorized the war, please don't tie the hands of our great soldiers and their commanders behind their backs in carrying out your authorization, still on the books, to fight this war against terror. Mr. Speaker, this committee has lost its way on this one. It is a shameful turn of events. Handcuffing the authorities of the President, undermining our troops in harm's way and exploiting worthy government programs for political gain is beyond the pale. Our troops and our Nation deserve better. They deserve our undying support. I urge a ``no'' vote.

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Mr. Speaker, I have the sad duty as the dean of the Kentucky delegation to inform the Members of the passing of our former colleague from Kentucky's Fourth District, Gene Snyder, who served some 20 years in this body until he retired in 1986. He passed away on February 16 of this year in Florida. His funeral and interment in Louisville took place last Saturday. For those who would desire, there will be a Special Order taken out by his successor in that district, Geoff Davis, tonight around 8:45. If you would like to participate in the Special Order, time will be available.

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. I thank the gentleman for yielding this time, and I want to say to him how much I appreciate him taking this Special Order out as the successor to Gene Snyder in that district to allow us to pay tribute to this legendary figure. I came here in January of 1981, and Congressman Snyder had been here, of course, long before I got here, had been here at that time I guess 14 or so years. But he took me under his arm and taught me many of the same lessons that the gentleman has just referred to. A kind, gentle soul. But when he had a project on his mind you better get out of the way because he was tough, and he knew what he was doing. And he carried in his pocket a list of those who voted against his bill so that if you wanted a favor from Gene Snyder you had better be on his list that he always carried with him. He would always refer to that list when he was thinking about helping his colleagues. And that made him very, very effective. He was a dear friend and a mentor of all of us. He was particularly helpful to me as a freshman Member of this body. And I was very, very sad to see him leave the body in 1986. But he deserved a retirement. But we never could get him to come back to Washington to see his friends. When he finished his work here, he was finished with his work here and he retired to his home in Florida. At his funeral last Saturday in Louisville, a beautiful ceremony, Senator Mitch McConnell, the Republican leader in the Senate, from Louisville, an intern in Gene Snyder's office, that is where he got his start, paid Gene Snyder one of the most beautiful tributes that I think I have ever heard. The eulogy that Senator McConnell gave to Gene Snyder is memorable. In fact, Mr. Speaker, I am going to quote that eulogy because it says what I would like to say myself, except it has been said so well by the Senator. So if you will bear with me, I am going to quote the eulogy that Senator McConnell gave at the funeral Saturday. ``Twenty years have passed since Gene Snyder said goodbye to Washington. We gave him back to Pat, and she took good care of him until the end. We honor you, Pat, for your devotion to Gene on the wonderful journey that was marked by much suffering in these last years, and we share your grief. ``Kentucky politics has been known to produce some fine storytellers. Marion Gene Snyder was one of the best. You wouldn't want to share all of these stories with the League of Women Voters, or the Plague of Women Voters as he called it. But when Gene died last week, one of the greatest Kentucky stories of all time came to a close. ``Born in West Louisville to Marion and Lois Snyder, Gene came of age in a time and a place where you worked hard, went to church on Sunday, and always voted democratic. His dad worked a number of jobs to support the family. Gene summed up his childhood like this: I was a poor boy, he said from the other side of the tracks in a cold water flat. ``But what he lacked in privilege he made up for in smarts. Politics called at an early age and Gene responded in the only way he knew how. He gave it everything he had. He enrolled at the University of Louisville, went to law school. He volunteered as precinct captain before he was old enough to vote and he won his first political appointment as Jeffersontown City Attorney in 1954 at the age of 26. Continuing to read now from Senator McConnell's eulogy at the funeral, he says, ``party officials saw his talents right away, and 8 years later, they tapped him as a candidate for Congress. ``Youth wasn't the only obstacle he faced. Let's not forget that back then, ``conservative'' was a bad word. When Gene was preparing his run, a famous Harvard economist summed up the national mood. These are the years of the liberal, he said. Almost everyone now so describes himself, ``Not Gene. He was conservative before being conservative was cool. And he made no apologies for it. Most people would have excused him for moderating his views until he got his feet under him. But he wasn't the type to bend in the direction of the crowd. He stood still and watched as the rest of the country bent toward him. Now, continuing from the eulogy that Senator McConnell paid tribute to Gene on Saturday at the funeral, ``he was 35 when he arrived in Washington with the rest of the class of '63. He had a lot to say and a way of saying it. He saw a lot that year. A President assassinated, a new administration and the stirrings of an anti-American counter culture that he would battle, always with good humor, for much of the rest of his life. ``It was a difficult time, but it was exhilarating too. Young conservatives were quietly developing the ideas that would one day drive the political culture in Washington, and men like Gene Snyder, who dared to speak those ideas in a hostile crowd, gave all of them reason to hope. ``Those were the thoughts that were going through my mind at least, Senator McConnell says, when I applied to be an intern in Gene's office after my junior year at U of L. Like most interns, I spent most of that summer in the mailroom. But I was working for a man who knew what he believed. That appealed to me. ``It appealed to me even more when I saw him lose his seat the following year. Most Republicans were running away from their party's presidential nominee, Barry Goldwater. Gene stood still. He embraced Goldwater, even when it was clear that Lyndon Johnson was about to destroy him in the general election. He brushed off the loss with customary good humor. He took out an ad in The Washington Post that read, ``caught in the LBJ landslide. Congressman must sell three bedroom, one and a half bath home on large lot near schools and churches.'' ``When a curious reporter called the number on the ad, Gene picked up on the other end. Johnson carried my district by 64,000 votes, he said. I lost by 16,000. That means I was 48,000 ahead of Goldwater. ``I wouldn't have done anything differently in that campaign, he said. I don't think you should rise above principle just to win an election. ``So he came back home, started over and won again 2 years later as a proud conservative. And for the next 20 years the people around Louisville and Northern Kentucky knew they were home when they heard Gene's campaign jingle come over the radio. I think most folks felt the same way about that jingle as the customer who walks on to the screen in that Head-On commercial and says, the commercial is annoying, but the product is great. ``The gentleman from Kentucky made the most of his time in Washington. He threw himself into his work with the enthusiasm of a child. It was a different time. Slower, more congenial, more fun. Gene Snyder was the perfect man for those times. Now, continuing from the eulogy that Senator McConnell gave at the funeral Saturday, ``the people around here learned the art of politics by watching him lean over fences and shake hands with tobacco farmers in Carrollton. They learned to enjoy it, too, the way he did, riding up Dixie Highway in a Lincoln car on warm summer nights, stapling his campaign fliers to telephone poles until the sun went down. ``A master of the practical joke, Gene once told a staffer to find a reception room in the Capitol that hadn't been cleaned up from the night before and to bring back the flowers. A little while later, one of the female staffers on the Public Works Committee found the flowers on her desk with a love note. Gene wrote the note, but he signed it with the name of an unsuspecting male staffer. ``His humor even found its way into legislation. The Kennedy Center was supposed to be a self-sustaining institution. But when it couldn't pay its bills, it would ask the Public Works Committee to help out. Gene was the top Republican on that committee, and he didn't like the idea at all. So he introduced a bill proposing Friday night wrestling at the Kennedy Center as a way of boosting ticket sales. ``A visitor to the House of Representatives in the late 1970s might have noticed a large man in a brightly colored sports coat. Gene liked to dress himself when Pat was out of town. Well, C-SPAN put an end to that. One day three worried viewers from Kentucky called Gene's office to say their Congressman was on fire. The camera made his cranberry and orange jacket look like he was engulfed in flames. ``Gene always enjoyed a relaxing atmosphere. After a late night at the Capitol, Members always knew where they could relax or have a drink. The third floor of the Rayburn House Office Building was a good bet. You might find Gene there playing gin rummy with friends or telling a story. You would just follow the laughter. ``By 1979 most of the Nation had moved firmly in Gene's direction. Goldwater finally won his election in the person of Ronald Reagan, and Republican officials in Louisville were excited. I remember because there were about two of us back then, me and Gene. We announced our support for Reagan together, and Kentucky voters would give our 40th President their endorsement a year later.'' Now, continuing from the eulogy that Senator McConnell gave at the funeral Saturday: ``Gene's good humor was matched by his skills as a lawmaker, though he didn't like to admit it. 'I'm a lawyer,' he'd say, 'but not enough to hurt.' ``Yet anyone who worked with him knew he was one of the great parliamentarians of his day, someone who brought a staggering knowledge of the rules to the Public Works Committee and a lot of good things back to Kentucky. ``He was instrumental in building the Jefferson County Floodwall, the Markland Dam Bridge, the Clay Wade Bailey Bridge in Covington, and the Banklick Creek Watershed Flood Control Project. He was responsible for the Dayton Floodwall; the Falls of the Ohio Wildlife Conservation Area; the renovation of the Louisville Post Office and the Louisville Courthouse; and a new terminal at Standiford Field; new bridges in Covington and Newport; the Gene Snyder Airport at Falmouth; and, of course, the freeway. That is what Gene called it anyway. Just the freeway. ``Gene embodied the old rule that Members of Congress should be friends after 5 o'clock. He was a committed conservative, but even liberal Members lined up to thank him in his last days in Washington. One of them had this to say: 'Gene Snyder has been devoted to building things like bridges across rivers and streams, but he has also devoted himself to devoting goodwill among people.' ``When the last staffer turned off the lights and pulled the door shut on Gene's Capitol Hill office, an era in Washington ended. The people in the Fourth District saw a lot more of him and Pat. The members of Owl Creek Country Club would hear his stories now. The people at Concordia Lutheran saw him quite a bit. ``But Washington would miss, and still misses, his common touch, his lack of pretense, his principle. ``Age and illness would take their toll in the last years of Gene's remarkable life, but his humor remained. Old friends would call just to hear the recordings on his answering machine. ``But now death has done its work, and a great American story comes to an end. Yet we know it continues. This husband, father, lawmaker, mentor, and friend goes to the Father's house now. ``We take comfort in trusting him to the Lord of Mercy, who tells us that in the life to come, every question will be answered. Every tear wiped away. And we look forward to the day when we see Marion Gene Snyder again, upright, restored in body, healthy and strong, reaching across the fence to take our hands.'' So, Mr. Speaker, that is the eulogy that Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the senior Senator from Kentucky, the Republican leader in the Senate, as he delivered the eulogy to our friend Gene Snyder Saturday at the funeral in Louisville. I read the eulogy because I could not say it any better. Gene Snyder was a legend in his own time. He is a legendary Member of this body. He was one of the most powerful Members of this body for many years. But beneath that sometimes publicly crusted personality was that warm, gentle spirit and warm, gentle heart; that helpful person who reached out a hand to help those who needed it, whether it be a Member of Congress or a person back home looking for help on a Social Security claim or a veteran's pension or the like. We won't see his kind again, unfortunately, but I am glad that I had the honor and privilege of knowing Gene Snyder for many, many years, listening to his advice, laughing at his stories, and enjoying the companionship that we did. God rest his soul.

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Madam Speaker, I rise today to support our troops and our Nation. It is really that simple. We in Congress have an obligation and duty to debate the many different issues facing the country. Our words and our actions traditionally make their way to our constituents' living rooms and the national news, but now, with communications being what they are, to our troops in the field through the Internet. Our words are the guiding principles by which the voters ultimately make their decision on who they want representing them here, and this week obviously is no exception. Our words will carry on for many months to come. Our constituents are listening, as there is no issue more sobering or more somber than this one. Over the last 4 days, though, I have been struck not so much by the rhetoric on display here but the effects this debate will have on the morale of our troops. Our words have carried much further than those living rooms this past week. This debate will inevitably make its way to our troops there in Iraq standing watch in some remote outpost, training Iraqi security forces. This debate will inevitably make its way to the parents of our troops, their spouses, their children. These children will remember parts of this debate and will grow up learning just how much their country supported their parents during these trying times. The talk also goes to the enemy, who is watching and listening to us in the caves, on the battlefield, the terrorist cells wherever they may be. They monitor what we are saying to learn of our resolve. So even if we just talk, we ought to be very careful what we say. The world is watching and listening. And since we have the power to fund our military, I want to talk briefly. We have one Commander in Chief. The President's premise for going to war in both Afghanistan and Iraq has always been to go on the offensive. It is hard to prove a negative, but it is obvious we have not had one terrorist attack in the U.S. since 9/11. That is not all because of our decision to go to war in Iraq, but it is one of the reasons. Everybody ought to know by now the basic mindset of the terrorist jihadists. They are attracted to volatile parts of the Middle East, where broken regimes make it okay to practice hatred and violence. They are looking for safe sanctuary that provides secrecy, communications capabilities and a basic infrastructure with which to concoct their next scheme. They plan and plot and wait to pounce in various hot spots around the world, just as they have done in Kenya, Tanzania, the USS Cole, Bali, Madrid, London. It is a low-grade world war. If we finish this job, Iraq might be a place where people are more concerned with getting to work and raising a family than one where terrorists can plan attacks and sectarian violence is rampant. It won't be perfect. And let's be honest about what is called sectarian violence. Where did that come from? A lot of it from terrorist organizations, al Qaeda foremost. It is provoked and prodded along because our enemies know it will test our resolve. Listen to the tapes of Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahari. They talk about it all the time. What they want for themselves is for the U.S. to give up. They call us a paper tiger, a country that gives up when support wanes or when the going gets difficult. In their view, after we give up, they will claim victory and turn Iraq into a terrorist factory of training camps, weapons making and surveillance operations, all designed for the express purpose of waging the next attack in the U.S. or otherwise advancing this low-grade world war. The President knows this, and we need to end this war. He has taken the input of others and readjusted our strategy and, as we speak, is readjusting our tactics. The Iraqis must take charge of their own security. Our military is pressing for action, action from our own troops to quell the violence and action to get the Iraqi security forces trained, equipped and ready to act. I hope to bring the Kentucky troops home, but not until the work is done. Oppose the resolution.

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Mr. Speaker, I am sad to say that this is a sad day for the U.S. House. Why do I say that? Well, Mr. Speaker, the power of the purse is the most important power of the Congress. James Madison called the power of the purse ``the most complete and effectual weapon with which any constitution can arm the immediate representatives of the people.'' The power of the purse of the Congress is exercised through its Appropriations Committee and the appropriations process that is longstanding in this body. Today, we are throwing out that procedure. We are saying in this bill that all of the work that has gone on in the hearings, hundreds of hearings, hours and hundreds of hours of testimony that we have taken in the various subcommittee hearings from the administration, from outside witnesses, from Members of Congress, the Senate and so on, all of those hearings are being disregarded and thrown out. The testimony from the agency and the department heads and the Inspectors General and all of the people that are in the executive branch that are in charge of keeping track of the money, the GAO reports, budget reports, policy expert reports, all of those are being tossed out in favor of the judgment of two Members of the Congress, one from the House, one from the Senate. The bill before us is the product of two people, one from the House, one from the Senate. All of the debate that took place on the House floor on these individual bills as they came before this body, and Members expressed their views, offered amendments, had some won, some lost, but nevertheless, the process worked. That is being thrown out. These bills were chock full of reporting requirements of oversight provisions, congressional controls, money closely tied to results from the administration. The bills were carefully crafted in an open process, input from every Member, and all 10 of the 11 bills passed through the House gained widespread bipartisan support. Legislation we can be proud of. And yet we are throwing that out. The bipartisan work, we are throwing it away. This annual process we call the appropriations process is being discarded. We are cutting the purse strings, blindly handing over the money to the executive branch with no leverage, no new oversight of nearly half of the Federal discretionary budget. The new majority, Mr. Speaker, has been very righteous in saying it will conduct much more oversight than the previous Congress. And yet this so-called CR completely abdicates the majority's responsibilities as conducting any oversight. Just give the money to the executive branch. Spend it as you please. We don't care. That is what we are saying. And, Mr. Speaker, I don't like it.

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to an exceptional Kentuckian, Mayor Charles ``Charlie'' Beach III. After serving 32 years as mayor of the City of Beattyville, Kentucky, Mayor Beach is leaving office. I want to express my deepest gratitude for his many contributions and years of public service. Throughout his tenure, Mayor Beach has led a number of initiatives to improve the lives of Lee County residents, build hope in our Appalachian region, and serve as an economic and community development leader for the entire Commonwealth. Southern and Eastern Kentucky has been plagued with inadequate water and sewer infrastructure and poor housing opportunities. Mayor Beach has been the driving force behind construction of two water plants, a sewage treatment plant, and installation of necessary piping to serve and reach the rural residents of Beattyville and Lee County. In addition, Mayor Beach is well- regarded throughout the Commonwealth for his vision of providing quality, affordable housing. Since 2002, Mayor Beach has been a critical partner in our regional anti-drug initiative ``Operation UNITE.'' Beach was a key early supporter and critical ally in getting drugs off our streets and cleaning up our communities. He has consistently backed efforts to educate our children on the dangers of drug use and our program to help drug users find treatment options. In addition to his duties as mayor, Charles Beach is also the Vice- Chairman of the Peoples Exchange Bank where he provides business development and public relations leadership. He is the former President of the Kentucky League of Cities and has served as the Chairman of the Kentucky River Area Development District. These organizations promote the welfare and economic growth of Kentucky's rural and urban areas. Madam Speaker, I want to thank Mayor Beach for his selfless sacrifice and service on behalf of the people of the City of Beattyville, Lee County, and the Commonwealth of Kentucky. His dedication and integrity are an inspiration to us all and I know his contributions will live on for many years to come.

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Ms. Eula Hall, an exceptional Kentuckian. On October 27, 2006, friends and colleagues of Eula Hall gathered at the Mud Creek Clinic on Kentucky Route 979, KY 979, in Grethel, KY, to celebrate the life and accomplishments of a brave mountain woman. As a result of a resolution passed unanimously by the Kentucky General Assembly, KY 979 will be renamed Eula Hall Highway. For the past 40 years, Eula Hall has probably traveled Kentucky Route 979 more than anyone else. She was a woman with a mission--to bring quality health care to people who had no medical insurance and could not afford to pay for things like visits to the doctor, shots, prescription medicine, much less surgery, physical therapy, and other more expensive treatments and procedures. She's made it her life's work to make sure that no one within her reach goes without the basic health care they need to live full, productive lives. Born on Greasy Creek in Pike County, Eula didn't start school until she was 9 years old. She remembers crying on her last day of the eighth grade because she knew she couldn't continue her education. The closest high school was about 20 miles away, and school buses did not travel that far out in the county. She had six brothers and sisters; her parents didn't own a vehicle and as farm workers they couldn't afford to send her to boarding school or college. In 1973, as a young mother raising five children on her own, she realized the terrible toll that lack of proper health care took on people without money or insurance. She organized screenings using medical students from the University of Kentucky and Vanderbilt as well as volunteer nurses and physicians. They found undiagnosed tuberculosis, pneumoconiosis--black lung, diabetes, heart disease, and high blood pressure. Shortly afterward, Eula managed to get a clinic licensed to operate on Mud Creek in Floyd County. The Mud Creek Clinic opened in a rented house on Tinker Fork, which it quickly outgrew. Hall moved the facility to her own home on Mink Branch. Her house was bigger and easier to get to. But it meant moving her family into a mobile home. Eula Hall picked up patients and took them home because many of them had no means of transportation. By 1977 the clinic merged with Big Sandy Health Care, which remains its parent organization today. Today, there are 24 employees, including two full-time physicians, a full-time certified physician assistant, and a part-time doctor. The clinic is housed in a modern brick building with another facility behind it that houses a dental clinic and food pantry. Now she even works to get people their rightful Social Security and other benefits. Eula Hall is 78 years old but still goes to work at 8 o'clock every morning. Mr. Speaker, on behalf of my colleagues and myself, I want to thank Eula Hall for her sacrifices and service on behalf of the people of Floyd County, KY. Her dedication and integrity are an inspiration to us all.

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay to pay tribute to an exceptional Kentuckian, Judge Clyde Thomas. After serving 16 years as Rowan County Judge Executive, Judge Thomas is retiring and embarking on a new stage of life. I want to express my deepest gratitude for his many contributions and years of public service. Clyde Thomas' service in Kentucky began almost 50 years ago as a dispatcher for the Kentucky State Police. In 1964 he graduated from the Kentucky State Police Academy and 6 years later was promoted to Detective Sergeant after earning the highest test score in the history of the Kentucky State Police. Clyde Thomas was later promoted to Lieutenant and graduated from the FBI National Academy. Before his retirement in 1984, Clyde Thomas made many positive changes and contributions to the Kentucky State Police, including serving as the first president of the Kentucky State Police Professional Association. With this keen law enforcement background and a commitment to our community, Clyde Thomas was elected Rowan County Judge Executive in 1989. During his tenure, Judge Thomas has been a strong leader for various job creation and community development projects transforming this rural county into a formidable, regional economic engine. Judge Thomas has championed countywide sewer and infrastructure improvements including the recent expansion of the Morehead Wastewater Treatment Facility. Through his efforts, more than 1,500 homes and businesses have adequate sewer. Another 100 sub-standard road bridges have been upgraded, and over 250 miles of roadway paved all under his careful watch. Judge Executive Thomas has kick-started several long-term growth initiatives including securing a new Army National Guard Readiness Center, expanding regional healthcare and educational facilities, and working with county neighbors to construct industrial development zones. I particularly want to acknowledge the Judge's strong backing of the new airport in Rowan County which will be a general aviation hub and important gateway to eastern Kentucky. By bringing local leaders together and working with the State and federally elected leadership, including myself. Judge Thomas has brought a first-rate, 5,500 foot, safe and secure airport to our region. This project will bring economic benefits and a robust aviation industry well into the future. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Judge Clyde Thomas for his sacrifice and service on behalf of the people of Rowan County, KY, and the entire Commonwealth. Although his days as Rowan County Judge Executive are drawing to a close, I know his contributions will live on for many years to come. I want to wish him and his family all the best for this new chapter in life.

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. I thank the gentleman for his very, very kind remarks; and I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from California (Mr. Lewis), the chairman of the Appropriations Committee, who has been extremely helpful on this bill, as all of the others.

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from New York (Mr. King), the very distinguished chairman of the authorizing Committee on Homeland Security in the House, whose cooperation on this bill has been fabulous, for the purpose of a colloquy.

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. That is correct, except for the new authorizing languages that are in the bill. You are correct, except for the newly authorized items that are in this bill.

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. That is correct.

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Shuster), who is Chairman of the Emergency Management Subcommittee of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. (Mr. SHUSTER asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Speaker, this year has been a difficult year for this bill, as they all are. We did not have all of the allocation that we could have used. However, I think we judiciously have spent the moneys that were allocated to us. There is no more important chore that the Congress has, in my judgment, than to protect the country as best we can from its enemies and from natural disasters. That is what this bill is all about. It is such a huge undertaking. We have got 7,500 miles of borders with our neighbors, we have 12,000 miles of coastline, including the Great Lakes, 440 commercial airports with 600 million passengers a year internally and many millions more from outside the country, rail and subways and tunnels and bridges and cyber structures, and the financial system. Everything we have is subject to attack, and it is a very, very difficult chore for the government, both the executive branch and certainly the legislative branch, to try to get our arms around the mission and to try to find the moneys there to try to finance the effort to defend the country against its enemies. But I think we have done that within this bill as best we can. We have covered practically every angle that you can think of with plenty of funding. I am especially pleased that we found huge new sums to spend on border security. We can't exist as a country if we can't protect that border, and that is what this bill is all about in its main emphasis. Again, I want to thank Marty Sabo for his years of service and friendship, he and Sylvia. Marty, you and Sylvia, we wish you Godspeed.

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Sweeney), another very important member of this subcommittee who has helped us enormously.

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. LoBiondo), chairman of the Coast Guard Subcommittee in the House.

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. If the gentleman will yield, I agree with the gentleman from New Jersey that this is an important program; and I can assure him that, should we receive information that the Coast Guard has addressed our concerns, we will give the program favorable consideration in the future.

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Iowa (Mr. Latham), a very valuable member of the subcommittee and of the conference.

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. King), the chairman of the authorizing committee.

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Mr. Speaker, both gentlemen are correct. WHTI is vital to our homeland security, and I am absolutely committed to ensuring it is put in place. The conference report requires the Departments of Homeland Security and State to implement WHTI no later than 3 months after the security requirements are met or by June 1, 2009, whichever is earlier. We urge DHS and State to quickly develop the PASS card technology, card readers, and procedures to enable the earliest possible deployment of the system at our sea and land ports of entry. Again, let me make this clear. The conference report does not force a delay upon WHTI. It is up to DHS and State to make sure the program works securely and is implemented as soon as possible, which can and should be in accordance with the original WHTI deadline of January 1, 2008. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Wamp), a very valuable member of this subcommittee, hardworking, and a conferee on the bill.

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include tabular and extraneous material on the conference report to accompany H.R. 5441.