Mike Ross

Mr. ROSS

Mr. ROSS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Illinois for that perspective. It is wonderful to be joined this evening during the Blue Dog special order by a number of new members of the fiscally conservative Democratic Blue Dog Coalition. I believe we have had three, and this will be make four new members join us for this discussion and this debate here on the House floor this evening. I am pleased at this time to yield to the gentleman from Pennsylvania, Patrick Murphy.

Mr. ROSS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Indiana, and I yield to the gentleman from Georgia, Mr. Scott.

Mr. ROSS. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the many members of the fiscally conservative Democratic Blue Dog Coalition for coming to the floor of the House of Representatives this evening and joining me for a discussion on how we can restore fiscal discipline and common sense to our national government, how we can bring this number down, Mr. Speaker. As we conclude, I will remind you in that this number actually went up by some $40 million during the hour that we have been here on the floor this evening.

Mr. ROSS

Mr. ROSS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the hard work and dedication of Frank Anthony. Mr. Anthony is a guiding light to the youth and educators of Arkansas. On November 28th he was honored as the Arkansas Association of Education Administrator's (AAEA) 2006-2007 Superintendent of the Year. The AAEA is an umbrella organization of ten constituent educational administrator groups. The organization was founded in 1976 and currently represents more than 2,800 members. Frank Anthony is the Superintendent of the Pine Bluff School District and has dedicated his life to education. Before excelling in his current position, Mr. Anthony served the Arkansas State Department of Education and the school districts of Eudora, Warren, Wilmot and Parkdale. Mr. Anthony started out his career as a Math teacher and basketball coach and immediately made a difference in the lives of the students and fellow faculty members. Along with serving his school district, Mr. Anthony also serves the community by sitting on numerous boards and commissions such as the United Way and Pine Bluff Chamber of Commerce. Frank Anthony's dedication to making our state a better place to live, through his work as a public school educator, should serve as an example and an inspiration for us all. I am so pleased to have the opportunity to properly recognize Frank Anthony before the United States Congress for his outstanding contributions to the field of education and to the communities and lives he has touched in Arkansas. Please join me in congratulating Mr. Anthony on his honor of being named Arkansas's Superintendent of the Year.

Mr. ROSS

Mr. ROSS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Brian M. Brian of Camden, Arkansas, who died on October 22, 2006, while working in Iraq as a police trainer. Brian M. Brian was 58 years old when the military convoy he was riding in was attacked. Brian M. Brian was working outside of Baghdad as an international police liaison officer. Before going to Iraq, Brian worked for the Ouachita County Sheriff's Department for 13 years. Brian held many roles within the department and left the office with the rank Captain. In 2005, he became an instructor at the Arkansas Law Enforcement Training Academy. Brian was a veteran of the U.S. Navy, where he served from 1968 to 1971, including a tour of duty in Vietnam. While not serving our state and our country, Brian enjoyed helping people and animals in his community who were in need of shelter, food or help. Brian M. Brian gave his life to serve our country and will forever be remembered as a hero, a son, and a husband. My deepest condolences go out to his wife Connie. He will be missed by his family, his community and all those who knew him and counted him as a friend. I will continue to keep Brian M. Brian and his family in my thoughts and prayers.

Mr. ROSS

Mr. ROSS. I want to thank the gentleman for discussing some of the legislative agenda items that we will see in the first 100 hours of the new 110th Congress. And reforming Medicare part D is another one of those that I am very excited about, where we are actually going to allow our government to negotiate on behalf of 40 million seniors with the big drug manufacturers to lower the cost of medicine, which hopefully can help us to eliminate or reduce this doughnut hole and continue to improve and make this benefit for America's seniors even better. But we are 37 members strong. We are the fiscally conservative Blue Dog Coalition, Mr. Speaker, and I am pleased we are growing to 44 members with the 110th session of Congress beginning in January; and we are all about restoring common sense and fiscal discipline to our Nation's government. And, wow, does our country need a good dose of that, does Congress need a good dose of that. You can look to the chart here and find the answer is an overwhelming ``yes'' with a great big exclamation mark at the end of it. As you walk the Halls of Congress, Mr. Speaker, you will find this Blue Dog Coalition poster as a welcome mat to the door of each of the 37 members of the fiscally conservative Democratic Blue Dog Coalition to serve as a daily reminder to all of us that walk the Halls of Congress that our Nation and its spending habits are out of control. Today, the U.S. National Debt, and these numbers change daily in the Halls of Congress by the front door as a welcome mat to the members of the fiscally conservative Democratic Blue Dog Coalition. But today, as we stand here, the U.S. national debt is $8,643,173,864,324 and some change. If you divide that enormous number that is very difficult for us to get our arms wrapped around, if you take that number and you divide it by every man, woman, and child, including those being born today here in America, your share, each individual's share of the national debt is $28,867. We refer to it in the Blue Dog Coalition as the debt tax, D-E- B-T. And that is one tax that cannot go away, that cannot be cut, that is stopping us from meeting America's priorities here at home. So that is the reason we have written a 12-point plan for reform that will cure our Nation's addiction to deficit spending, put us on a course toward a balanced budget, and that will allow us to begin to invest in America again. We have got the cochair-elect of the Blue Dog Coalition with us today, one of the members of the Blue Dog Coalition who has been around for quite some time and has been a real leader in the group and I am pleased to report that beginning with the 110th session of Congress will become the cochair for administration for the Blue Dog Coalition, and that is the gentleman from Florida, Mr. Allen Boyd.

Mr. ROSS. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from Florida who has been elected cochair of the Blue Dog Coalition for the 110th session of Congress for coming and sharing his thoughts with us. Mr. Boyd, you are so right. The American people on election night were telling us they want us to put an end to the partisan bickering, to clean up the mess in Washington, to reach across that aisle and work together, not as Democrats or Republicans, but as Americans. And put America first again, put our families and children first again, and put the people's interests above special interests. That is why I am so proud that Speaker-elect Pelosi has announced that during the first 100 legislative hours we will see a meaningful ethics reform bill on the floor of this House. Some people, when they hear about the Blue Dog Coalition and the fact that we are a group of fiscal conservative Democrats, a lot of people all of a sudden just assume that it is a group of Southern Democrats. Not true. This is not a regional group; this is a national group and a national movement that stretches from Salt Lake City and Burbank, California all the way to Long Island. And I am so pleased that one of our longstanding members of the fiscally conservative Democratic Blue Dog Coalition, the gentleman from Long Island, Steve Israel, is here with us today; and I yield to him.

Mr. ROSS. I thank the gentleman from Long Island for joining us on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives as we discuss the fiscal conservative Democratic Blue Dog Coalition and our plans to restore some commonsense and fiscal discipline to our government. It begins with our 12-point reform plan for curing our Nation's addiction to deficit spending. Mr. Speaker, if you have questions, comments or concerns, you can e- mail us at BlueDog@mail.house.gov. Quickly, I want to go through some of the 12 points. In other words, we are not here on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives just to beat up the Republican leadership or just talk about what has gone wrong, we are here to offer up commonsense solutions to getting this Nation out of debt. Number one, require a balanced budget. Forty-nine States do. Holly Ross does. Most Americans understand the concept of a balanced budget. So number one, require a balanced budget as a nation. Number two, don't let Congress buy on credit. That goes back to the PAYGO rules, and we are very pleased that Speaker-elect Pelosi has included in her legislative agenda for the first 100 hours reinstituting PAYGO rules, rules that were in place on the floor of this House from 1998 through 2001 when we had a balanced budget for the first time in about 40 years. Pay as you go simply means if you want to spend money on a project, show us where the money is coming from; don't go to China and borrow it from them. Number three, put a lid on spending, what is referred to as strict spending caps to solve the growth of runaway government programs. Number four, require agencies to put their fiscal house in order. Mr. Speaker, did you realize that 18 of 24 major Federal agencies can't produce a clean audit of their books? The Constitution clearly gives Congress the authority to provide oversight, and all this Republican-led Congress has been doing is rubber stamp after rubber stamp after rubber stamp and continuing to give these agencies more money when they can't account for the money they already get. These are four of the basic principles of the 12-point plan that the Blue Dog Coalition is offering up for meaningful budget reform. I yield to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Scott).

Mr. ROSS. The gentleman raised an excellent point, and I am writing a plan to put America on a path towards energy independence, something Brazil will achieve this year. And the reason this is all so important, and it relates to the debt and the deficit, is as a Nation we are spending half a billion dollars a day paying interest on the debt we have already got. America's priorities, including investing in alternative and renewable fuels and bioenergies and clean coal technology and synthetic fuels, will never happen. So it is time to get our Nation's fiscal house in order. Mr. Speaker, we will be back on the floor next Tuesday night or at some Tuesday night in the future, whenever we see fit to come back as a Congress, to talk more about the Blue Dogs 12-point plan for meaningful budget reform, to restore common sense and fiscal discipline to our Nation's government. And until we see you again, Mr. Speaker, I will leave you with this thought: everyone in America's share of the national debt: $28,867. The debt tax, d-e-b-t. It is time, Mr. Speaker, we get our Nation's fiscal house in order and pay down this debt and have a balanced budget in this country once more.

Mr. ROSS. Mr. Speaker, I rise this afternoon on behalf of the 37- member strong, fiscally conservative, Democratic Blue Dog Coalition, a group of conservative Democrats that are united with a common cause, and that is, restoring common sense and fiscal discipline to our Nation's government. As we spend the next 45 minutes or so, Mr. Speaker, talking about the fiscally conservative Democratic Blue Dog Coalition's 12-point plan for meaningful budget reform, and as we talk about our plan for accountability within our government, I would remind you, Mr. Speaker, that you can e-mail us your comments or concerns at bluedog@mail.house.gov. Again, Mr. Speaker, if you have any comments, questions or concerns of us, you can e-mail us at bluedog@mail.house.gov. Mr. Speaker, the Federal debt is the largest this Nation has ever seen, some $8.6 trillion. This Nation has had one of the largest deficits year after year after year since 2001. I believe the American people are ready for us to put an end to the partisan bickering and clean up the mess in Washington to restore common sense and fiscal discipline to our Nation's government. The projected deficit for fiscal year 2007 is $350 billion, at least that is what they tell us, but not true. The real deficit for fiscal year 2007 is $545 billion. You see, when the people in this House, when the Republican leadership tells us that the deficit that is projected for fiscal year 2007 is $350 billion, that is counting the money they are borrowing from the Social Security trust fund, with absolutely no provision on how or when or where the money is going to come from to pay that debt back. I am starting to understand now why, when I first got to Congress in 2001 and I wrote that bill to tell the politicians in Washington to keep their hands off the Social Security trust fund, I am beginning now to understand why the Republican leadership refused to give us a hearing or a vote on that legislation. Last year, the deficit was about $300 billion. In fact, Mr. Speaker, if you look with me here, you can see in 2004, we had the largest deficit ever in our Nation's history, $413 billion; the second largest deficit ever in our Nation's history in 2003, $378 billion. In 2005, it was $318 billion, and for 2006, there was much to do made out of the fact that they only had a deficit of $296 billion. Only $296 billion? Mr. Speaker, that is an enormous debt. That is a lot of hot checks that have been written by our Nation. Let me put it in perspective. Those are the four largest deficits ever in our Nation's history, the fiscal year 2007 deficit projected at $350 billion, but let me put it in perspective. The total national debt from 1789 until 2000 was $5.67 trillion, but by 2010 the total national debt will have increased to $10.88 trillion. This is a doubling of the 211-year debt in just 10 years. Interest payments on this debt are one of the fastest growing parts of the Federal budget. It is called the debt tax, D-E-B-T, and that is one tax that cannot be repealed, that cannot be cut until we get our Nation's fiscal house in order and return to the days, like we saw under President Clinton from 1998 through 2001, where for the first time in 40 years Democratic or Republican, the Clinton administration gave us the first balanced budget, gave us a surplus that in the past 5\1/2\ years has been squandered by this administration and this Republican-led Congress. Our Nation is borrowing $1 billion a day. We are sending $8 billion a month to Iraq, $57 million a day to Afghanistan. We are borrowing $1 billion a day, and before we borrow $1 billion today and before the current debt grows by another $1 billion today, our Nation is paying $500 million on the debt we have already got in interest payments alone. America's priorities will continue to go unmet until we get our Nation's fiscal house in order. Let me just make this point of what I mean by that. The red bar is the amount of money our Nation is spending on interest not meeting America's priorities, not investing in education, homeland security, veterans or our soldiers, simply paying interest on the national debt. That is the red bar. You can see in contrast how much we are spending of your tax money on education and on homeland security and on veterans. The majority of the money is going to help pay interest, not principal, not investing in education, homeland security, veterans or soldiers, but paying interest on the debt we already got. So America's priorities will continue to go unmet until we get our Nation's fiscal house in order. To help me explain this, and I will be coming back to talk more about the Blue Dog Coalition's 12-point plan for a meaningful budget reform, I will be talking about our package of accountability bills; but to help set the stage, Mr. Speaker, and to put this in perspective, I yield to my colleague and fellow Blue Dog member from Georgia (Mr. Scott).

Mr. ROSS. Mr. Speaker, I believe an important message was sent on election night, and that message was that the American people are ready for us to put an end to the partisan bickering, to work together to clean up the mess and to put people's interests above special interests. That is why I am real proud that in the first 100 hours under Speaker-elect Pelosi, she has announced that in the first 100 hours we will reinstitute PAYGO rules on the floor of the United States House of Representatives. PAYGO means pay-as-you-go, and it is one of the 12 points for meaningful reform that the Blue Dog Coalition has put forth. We are very grateful that she has included it in one of her objectives to accomplish in the first 100 hours. What PAYGO means is that if you have got a new Federal program you want to fund or if you have got a tax for folks earning over $400,000 a year that you want to cut, you have got to show us where you are going to pay for it. You cannot just pass laws that cut revenue or increase spending without showing where the money is going to come from, because we know where it has been coming from. It has been coming from foreign central banks and foreign investors, as the gentleman from Georgia so eloquently pointed out. This administration and this Congress in the past 5\1/2\ years have borrowed more money from foreign central banks and foreign investors than the previous 42 Presidents combined. Reinstituting the PAYGO rules that were in place on the floor of this House when President Clinton gave us the first balanced budget in about 40 years, every year from 1998 through 2001, PAYGO rules were in place; then they will be in place again on the floor of this House, which is the first step toward restoring fiscal discipline and common sense to our Nation's government. I yield back to the gentleman from Georgia.

Mr. ROSS. Will the gentleman yield?

Mr. ROSS. Just on the minimum wage aspect, let me just make a point to that. If folks don't recognize the current Federal minimum wage of what it means, let me tell you what it means. If you are working 40 hours a week, 52 weeks a year, never get sick and never take a single day off of work for vacation, you earn $10,712 a year. If we are serious as a Nation in moving people from welfare to work, we have got to value their work and we have got to pay them a living wage. And that is exactly what the gentleman from Georgia is talking about doing; and I am so pleased that Speaker-elect Pelosi has included that in her legislative agenda for the first 100 hours.

Mr. ROSS

Mr. ROSS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor America's Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Historically Black Colleges and Universities were not officially recognized by the government until 1964, but these valuable institutions have had a lasting impact on our nation for more than a century. As the United States Representative for Arkansas's Fourth Congressional District, I have the distinct honor to represent my state's largest and only four-year public Historically Black University, the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff. UAPB was founded in 1890 and now provides more than 3,600 students with a quality, affordable education. The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff is an anchor for the town of more than 55,000 people as it provides jobs, resources, opportunities and education to the entire region. Growing up in rural Arkansas, I had the unfortunate opportunity to see how segregation affected Southern towns. The division that was placed on different cultures was stretched far and wide. Prior to 1964, it was almost impossible for an African American student to enroll in a public institution of higher education. Thankfully, these students had the opportunity to continue learning and pursuing their dream because of Historically Black Colleges and Universities. When doors were shut to African American students, those students refused to take no for an answer and created institutions of higher education where education was the focus, not a distraction. Historically Black Colleges and Universities are vital to the education of our nation's youth. They enroll 14 percent of all African American students in higher education, yet the 102 recognized Historically Black Colleges and Universities only constitute three percent of America's 4,084 institutions of higher education. Twenty- four percent of all baccalaureate degrees earned by African Americans nationwide are earned in our Historically Black Colleges and Universities. I wish that those brave Americans who formed the first black college could be here today to see the lasting impact they have had on the thousands of Americans who have benefited from an education at such an institution. Just think, without these colleges, we might have never known or heard from American icons such as Martin Luther King, Langston Hughes, Thurgood Marshall, Walter Payton or Oprah Winfrey. There is no doubt in my mind or my heart, that these great people were the product of an invaluable institution which motivated them to be leaders they became. I am proud to have joined with my friend and colleague Ms. Eddie Bernice Johnson in passing legislation honoring our nation's Historically Black Colleges and Universities and I will fight to ensure their continued excellence in education will live on. I am so pleased to have the opportunity to properly recognize our nation's Historically Black Colleges and Universities before the United States Congress for their outstanding contributions to the communities and lives they have educated and will continue to impact. Please join me in applauding the amazing work these institutions have done over the course of history.

Mr. ROSS

Mr. ROSS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the memory of Bobbie Gene ``Bob'' Lann, who passed away September 15, 2006, in Magnolia, Arkansas at the age of 79. After serving in the Unites States Army, Bob Lann moved to Stamps, Arkansas, where he lived for twenty-two years. Bob served as captain of the Stamps Fire Department, served on the Stamps City Council and was charter president of the Stamps Jaycees. He was also ordained as a Deacon of the First Baptist Church where he was also treasurer and Sunday school Superintendent. Bob later moved to Magnolia, Arkansas, where he opened Furniture Land. He was active in the community by serving as president of the Magnolia Columbia Chamber of Commerce, as a member of the Rotary Club and Optimist Club and Deacon at Central Baptist Church. Bob Lann was an avid bluegrass fan and loved playing the fiddle with his friends. My deepest condolences go to his wife of fifty-nine years, Bobbie Ruth Coffman Lann; his daughter, Ameta Vines and her husband Johnny; his son Randy Lann and wife Cindy; his two grandchildren Julia Lann and Brad Lann; his step granddaughter, Toni Dickinson and his step great- granddaughter Emilee Dickinson. Bob Lann will be greatly missed in Columbia County and throughout the state of Arkansas.

Mr. ROSS

Mr. ROSS. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to share my support and acknowledgement of September as Craniofacial Acceptance Month. Each year approximately 100,000 children are born in the United States with some form of facial disfigurement. In many cases, reconstructive surgeons can correct these problems early--often while the children are still infants. In other cases, however, reconstruction is not so easy or even possible. The Children's Craniofacial Association, CCA, is an organization that supports these children and their families. Through CCA's continued dedication and efforts, I am pleased to share my support and thanks for their designation of September as Craniofacial Acceptance Month. In 2001, my constituent, Wendelyn Osborne, brought the craniofacial disorders issue to my attention. At a young age Wendelyn was diagnosed with craniometaphyseal dysplasia, CMD. CMD is a rare disorder that affects only 200 people worldwide. Specifically, CMD involves an overgrowth of bone which never deteriorates. In Wendelyn's case, this caused an abnormal appearance, bilateral facial paralysis and deafness. Other cases can include those characteristics as well as blindness and joint pain. Wendelyn has had to go through 17 reconstructive surgeries to counteract the medical difficulties that comprise her disorder. Unfortunately, the majority of reconstructive surgeries, such as these that Wendelyn has undergone, are not covered by insurance companies. Rather, many of them are treated as strictly cosmetic. As a result, individuals are forced to fight their insurance companies just to receive the life-saving surgeries they need. The fact that these surgeries have been grouped in the same ``cosmetic'' category as surgeries that simply make people look better or younger is a tragedy. Wendelyn's story inspired me to introduce legislation that would assist these thousands of individuals who are affected by a craniofacial disorder. My legislation, the Reconstructive Surgery Act, would ensure nationwide insurance coverage for medically necessary reconstructive surgeries. It is my hope that further education and understanding of craniofacial disorders will allow our nation to move forward and update existing laws to better meet the medical needs of those needing reconstructive, not cosmetic, surgery. I urge my colleagues to join in this effort and help recognize these conditions through Craniofacial Acceptance Month so that all Americans can access the care they need.

Mr. ROSS

Mr. ROSS. Mr. Speaker, it is my understanding that we are going to get the rest of the minutes until midnight; that the other side did not plan to come, just a point of order, I guess, and you can tell us at the appropriate time when our time is up. We just want to thank you for the time that we have here this evening. It is almost midnight at our Nation's Capitol in Washington, D.C., and yet, as members of the fiscally conservative Democratic Blue Dog Coalition, we are 37 members strong, and we are here on the floor of the United States House of Representatives because we believe the time has come to restore fiscal discipline and common sense to our Nation's government. Today, the U.S. national debt is $8,538,760,336,803.43, and for every man, woman, and child in America, your share of the national debt is $28,564.23. As you walk the Halls of Congress, you will notice this poster outside the door of some Members of Congress, which signifies that they are members of the fiscally conservative Democratic Blue Dog Coalition, and each day this number, unfortunately, changes, and, unfortunately, each day this number goes up. I am very pleased to be joined this evening by one of the founding members of the fiscally conservative Democratic Blue Dog Coalition, someone who has really been outspoken in the area of trying to restore fiscal discipline to our Nation's government and particularly been doing a lot of work in the area of accountability, being accountable for the taxpayers' dollars, and that is my friend Mr. John Tanner from Tennessee. At this time I yield to the gentleman from Tennessee.

Mr. ROSS. FEMA at one time had 10,777. At this time, they are down, to their credit, they are now down, a year after Hurricane Katrina, to 9,778 brand new, fully furnished 16-foot wide, 60-foot long mobile homes, built-in whirlpools, built-in microwaves, fully furnished, 9,778 brand new, fully furnished manufactured homes that never got to storm victims from Hurricane Katrina or Hurricane Rita. They are simply sitting in a hay meadow in Hope, Arkansas, more than a year after Hurricane Katrina and 450 miles from the eye of the storm. This is a symbol of what is wrong with this administration and this Republican Congress, and this is a symbol of why we need to pass the Blue Dog accountability plan, a plan that you helped write, that we wrote together to restore accountability to our government. I yield back to the gentleman.

Mr. ROSS. I thank the gentleman from Tennessee, Mr. Tanner, a founding Member of the fiscally conservative Democratic Blue Dog Coalition, for joining us this evening to talk about his bill, our Blue Dog bill accountability, to demand that this Republican Congress become accountable for how they spend our tax money. Mr. Speaker, the total national debt from 1789 to 2000 was $5.67 trillion. But by 2010, the total national debt will have increased to $10.88 trillion. This is a doubling of the 211-year debt in just 10 years. Interest payments on this debt are one of the fastest growing parts of the Federal budget. What we call the debt tax, D-E-B-T. You can see it here. Today the national debt is $8,538,760,336,803 and some change. For every man woman and child, their share of the national debt, $28,564. Again, the debt tax. That is one tax that cannot be repealed, that cannot go away until we get our Nation's fiscal house in order and restore common sense in this Chamber. The current national debt, as you can see, is $8.5 trillion. Why do deficits matter? They matter because deficits reduce economic growth. They burden our children and our grandchildren with liabilities. They are the ones that are going to have to fix this mess. They increase our reliance on foreign lenders. Yes, I said foreign lenders, who now own about 40 percent of our Nation's debt. Foreign lenders currently hold a total of a little over $2 trillion of our public debt. Compare that to only $623 billion in foreign holdings back in 1993. Put it another way: This President, this President and this Republican Congress in the last 5\1/2\ years have borrowed more money from foreign lenders than the previous 42 presidents combined. Our Nation is borrowing money from places like Communist China to fund tax cuts for people in this country earning over $400,000 a year. It simply does not make sense. Those are not the kind of values I learned growing up at the Midway Methodist Church outside of Prescott, Arkansas. I learned about being a good steward. And here as Members of Congress we have a duty and a responsibility to be a good steward of the taxpayers' money, and we believe this Republican Congress is failing us in that regard. So who do we owe all this money to? Here is the top ten list, Japan, $640.1 billion; China, $321.4 billion; United Kingdom, $179.5 billion; OPEC. Imagine that, we wonder why we had $3 a gallon gasoline in August. I know it is coming down now, but I would ask you to think about this: I believe we all should be a lot more concerned about what gasoline and diesel fuel is going to cost a month after the election instead of a month before. OPEC, we owe OPEC $98 billion; Korea, $72.4 billion; Taiwan, $68.9 billion; Caribbean banking centers, $61.7 billion; Hong Kong, $46.6 billion; Germany, $46.5 billion. And all this debate about immigration reform, get a load of this. Rounding out the top 10 countries that the United States of America have borrowed money from to give tax cuts to those earning over $400,000 a year, Mexico. Our Nation has borrowed $40.1 billion from Mexico. I yield to the gentleman.

Mr. ROSS. It is very interesting. Let me say as a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, I have a plan to put America on a path toward energy independence. If we had time we would go into it in all the details tonight. I was out visiting with constituents in 34 towns in my district in August talking about my plan to put America on a path toward energy independence. We have a plan to do that as members of the fiscally conservative Democratic Blue Dog Coalition.

Mr. ROSS. We have a plan. We have a plan to restore accountability to our government, to be sure that our government is accountable for your tax money, Mr. Speaker. We have a plan, in fact it is a 12 point plan, for budget reform. So, Mr. Speaker, we are standing here willing, ready and able and asking that the Republican Members of this Congress work with us, work with us to restore common sense and fiscal discipline to our Nation's government so we can pay down this debt.

Mr. ROSS

Mr. ROSS. Mr. Speaker, I move that the House do now adjourn.

Mr. ROSS

Mr. ROSS. Mr. Chairman, earlier this afternoon I missed rollcall vote 442. I would like to state for the Record that I would have voted for rollcall vote 442, which was the Scott (D-VA) amendment that would allow the Federal Prison Industries to continue contracts, of the type being performed on the date of enactment of the bill, that provide services to for-profit businesses. Stated for:

Mr. ROSS

Mr. ROSS. Madam Speaker, this evening I rise on behalf of the 37 member strong, fiscally conservative Democratic Blue Dog Coalition. There are 37 of us that have come to Washington to try to give this Congress a good dose of common sense, especially as it relates to restoring accountability and fiscal discipline to our Nation's government. As you can see here, today the United States' national debt is $8,518,180,439,082 and some change. If you divide that number by every man, woman, and child in America, our share, each of us, of the national debt is $28,504. And, Mr. Speaker, where I come from, not many of us would be able to find that kind of money to pay back our share of the national debt. And I contend, Mr. Speaker, that the American people, it is wrong to ask them to pay for this out-of-control reckless spending that we have seen from this President and this Republican Congress. As a small child growing up, I always heard it was the Democrats that spent the money and that it was the Republicans that were fiscally responsible. Then I came to Congress and I learned the truth. It was from 1998 to 2001, under a President named Bill Clinton, that this country saw its first balanced budget and had surpluses. It was the first time in 40 years that a Democrat or a Republican had done that. And this President, this Republican Congress, I might add that this is the first time in over 50 years the Republicans have controlled the White House, House, and Senate, and what have they done? They have given us the largest debt ever, ever, in our Nation's history, $8,518,180,439,082 and some change. Again, for every man, woman, and child in America, for each of us, our share of the national debt is $28,504. Why do I raise this issue? Because it is time the American people know the truth. I raise it out of concern for the future of my country, our country. I raise it out of concern for my children, your children, your grandchildren because it is they who will be left to foot the bill for this out-of-control spending and lack of fiscal discipline that we are seeing from this Republican-led Congress. Mr. Speaker, I am sick and tired of all the partisan bickering we hear and see in our Nation's capital. I don't care if it is a Democrat idea or a Republican idea. All I care about is, is it a common-sense idea? Does it make sense for the people who sent us here to be their voice, to be their representative at our Nation's capital, in these halls of Congress, on the floor of the United States House of Representatives? So tonight I am here tonight to only hold the Republican leadership accountable for the largest debt ever in our Nation's history but to also offer up common-sense solutions that I am asking Republicans to join me in supporting for the sake of our country, for the future of our country. Common-sense solutions that can put us back on a path toward a balanced budget and can restore this country to the shape and to the economy that we enjoyed in the late 1990s. The debt is important. Why? Because the total national debt, numbers do not lie, facts do not lie, the total national debt from 1789 to 2000 was $5.67 trillion, and you see where it is today, $8,518,180,439,082. But by 2010 the total national debt will have increased to at least $10.88 trillion. That is a doubling. That is a doubling of the 211-year debt in just 10 years. Let me put it another way. This President and this Republican Congress have borrowed more money from foreign central banks and foreign lenders in the past 5\1/2\ years than the previous 42 Presidents combined. Interest payments on this debt are one of the fastest growing parts of the Federal budget. And what the Blue Dog Coalition has coined as the debt tax, d-e-b-t, cannot be repealed. That is one tax that will not go away until this Congress gets its fiscal House in order and restores some bipartisan common sense here on the floor of the United States House of Representatives. The current national debt as you see, $8.5 trillion. Each individual's share, $28,504. Why do deficits matter? They matter because deficits reduce economic growth, and we have seen that. A lot of people have lost their jobs in the past 5 years, and some will say that we are now seeing people being put back to work. But ask yourself, for those of you who lost a job in the past 5 years and have been fortunate enough to find new work, most of you, at least the people I talk to in south Arkansas tell me that the job that they have taken pays 5, 10, 15, $20,000 less per year than the job they lost, and the job they lost oftentimes included health insurance and their new job does not. Why do deficits matter? They burden our children and grandchildren with these liabilities. It is our kids and grandkids that are going to be stuck paying this debt tax, d-e-b-t. Why do deficits matter? Because they increase our reliance on foreign lenders. Foreign lenders now own 40 percent of our debt. The United States is becoming increasingly dependent on foreign lenders. You want to talk about national security. Mr. Speaker, this is a national security issue. The United States of America is becoming increasingly dependent on foreign lenders. Foreign lenders currently hold a total of about $2 trillion of our public debt. That is right. Over $2 trillion of that number right there has been borrowed from foreign lenders. Billions more have been borrowed from the Social Security trust fund. When I came to Congress in 2001, the first bill I filed as a Member of Congress was a bill to tell the politicians in Washington to keep their hands off the Social Security trust fund. This Republican Congress refused to give me a hearing or a vote on that bill, and now we know why. They have raided the Social Security trust fund to pay for tax cuts for folks earning over $400,000 a year. Shameful. Shameful. Shameful. Compare this: Foreign holdings in 1993 were $623 billion. Today, over $2 trillion of our Nation's debt, money we have borrowed, from foreign central banks and foreign investors and foreign lenders. And who are they? Here is the top ten list. These are the countries that the United States of America have gone to and borrowed money from in order to fund tax cuts in this country for people earning over $400,000 a year. It may make for good politics, but, Mr. Speaker, I contend it makes for horrible, irresponsible fiscal policy. Japan, the United States of America has borrowed $640.1 billion from Japan. China, Communist China, we have borrowed $321.4 billion from Communist China. The United Kingdom, $179.5 billion. OPEC, imagine that, and we wonder why gasoline is so expensive. Our Nation, the United States of America, has borrowed from OPEC countries $98 billion. Korea, $72.4 billion. Taiwan, $68.9 billion. The Caribbean banking centers, $61.7 billion. Hong Kong, $46.6 billion. Germany, $46.5 billion. And are you ready for this? Rounding out the top ten countries that the United States of America has borrowed money from to fund tax cuts in this country for folks earning over $400,000 a year: Mexico. The United States of America has borrowed $40.1 billion from Mexico. Our Nation today is borrowing about a billion dollars a day. That is a far cry from the time period 1998 through 2001 when our Nation experienced a surplus. Today, policies and the budgets passed by this Republican Congress and this Republican President have given us the largest debt ever in our Nation's history and one of the largest deficits ever in our Nation's history. Again, this President and this Congress have borrowed more money from foreign lenders in the last 5\1/ 2\ years than the previous 42 Presidents combined. It is our children who will be left to repay these enormous loans to these foreign countries. On July 19, 2006, the administration released its mid-session review of the budget. After further examination, let us take a closer look at what this report actually tells us. And let me just add, Mr. Speaker, if you have any comments or questions or concerns, I would encourage you, Mr. Speaker, to e-mail us at BlueDog@mail.house.gov. That is BlueDog@mail.house.gov. Again, we are 37-members strong. We are fiscally conservative Democrats that are trying to bring a good dose of common sense to the floor of the United States House of Representatives. You can e-mail, Mr. Speaker, at BlueDog@mail.house.gov. Let us look at the real numbers, the facts. Originally, the administration predicted that the deficit for fiscal year 2006 would be $318 billion. So back in July, July 19 to be specific, the President had a press conference to announce good news, that the administration's updated estimate of the deficit for 2006 would only be $296 billion, not $318 billion, as originally projected. That is the fourth largest deficit ever, ever, in our Nation's history. The largest was in 2004, $413 billion. The second largest was in 2003, $378 billion. The third largest was in 2005, $318 billion; and the fourth largest is projected to be in 2006, the President's own estimate, $296 billion. And the fact is, Mr. Speaker, these revised estimates do not account for the extent of our budget problems because they included in this calculation the annual surpluses of Social Security. When the Social Security surplus is excluded, as it should be, the politicians in Washington should keep their hands off the Social Security trust fund. Not counting Social Security, the real deficit for 2006 is not $296 billion but rather $473 billion. Mr. Speaker, when this administration took office in 2001, it had an advantage no administration in recent times had enjoyed, a 10-year projected surplus of $5.6 trillion. The administration has replaced that surplus with reoccurring deficits and record debt. When the cost of items omitted from the mid-session review are included, the deterioration in the budget between 2002 and 2011 is about $8.5 trillion. You can see in 2000 the surplus and you can see how the deficits started and you can see where we are headed. Although these numbers are more positive than the administration's February forecast, they unfortunately do not represent any significant improvements in the long-term budget picture. Even the administration's 5-year forecast, which omits the cost of certain planned policies, never shows a deficit smaller than $123 billion. Mr. Speaker, let us look at this chart here. The administration's estimated future deficits fail to include the full cost of items on its agenda. And once likely costs are included, the deficit is never better than $229 billion for the foreseeable future. Look at the realistic deficits. Look at the realistic estimate that shows bleak deficit outlook all the way up to 2015, 2016. In fact, the true state of the budget is worse than the administration's forecast depicts because it omits certain costs, as I mentioned. When realistic adjustments are made for real items, annual items never improve to better than $229 billion for any year over the next decade. And by 2016, the deficit grows to $444 billion. The administration's new estimates for the war in Iraq and Afghanistan reflect a total of $110 billion for 2007, $60 billion more than the President's February budget. The budget says one thing, reality is another. And let me say, as long as we have men and women in uniform in harm's way, I am going to support them. My brother-in-law is in the United States Air Force, spent Christmas on a tanker refueling fighter jets over Afghanistan. My first cousin is in the United States Army. His wife gave birth to their first child during his service in Iraq. This war in Iraq has impacted just about every family in America in one way or another. I went there in August of 2004 when we had some 3,000 National Guard troops from Arkansas. I visited with young men in uniform that I had taught in Sunday school and that I had duck hunted with, and I can promise you that as long as we have the men and women in uniform in harm's way, I am going to support them. This is where I disagree with this President. This President is spending $8 billion of your tax money every month in Iraq. But if you ask him to be accountable for your tax money, he will tell you you are unpatriotic. That is where I disagree with this President. I think any President, Democrat or Republican, should be held accountable for how they spend our tax money, and I believe it is time for this President to give us a plan, a plan that can allow us to put the Iraqi people back to work, a plan that will allow us to hire enough Iraqis to be able to take control of their police and military force so that the day may come when we can bring our men and women in uniform home. Beyond 2008, the administration provides no further funding for the war in Iraq or Afghanistan. The President's budget says that, beyond 2008, there will be no war in Iraq or Afghanistan. I think we know the truth, and I think we know different. Based on a model presented by CBO, the Congressional Budget Office, costs for military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan could run as much as $371 billion over the next 10 years, from 2007 to 2016. And this calculation is likely conservative. The report also estimates that the President's plan to partially privatize Social Security will worsen the unified deficit by $721 billion over the next 10 years. And the report does not include the cost of addressing Medicare physician payments. And I can promise you this: if we don't fix Medicare, if we don't fix Medicare, a number of providers will no longer accept Medicare, and it will be the patients, the patients, who suffer. We deserve to do better than that by our seniors. We deserve to do better than that by those who count on us in their retirement years for health care. A long-term fix to the Medicare problem could cost from $127 billion to $275 billion over the next 10 years in the absence of other policy changes, and that is not even included in the budget or in these deficit projections. So the budget is meaningless. These projections are meaningless. This budget and these projections indicate that the war will be over in Iraq and Afghanistan by 2008, that there are no problems with the long-term future of Medicare, that there are no problems with Social Security. Mr. Speaker, I mentioned it before, but it is worth repeating. It is worth repeating that since President Bush took office, the amount of foreign-held Treasury debt has more than doubled, increasing from $1 trillion to $2.1 trillion, meaning that this administration has already accrued more foreign debt than the previous 42 Presidents combined. Unlike deficits in earlier years, current deficits have been primarily financed by foreign investors. With the rise in foreign debt equaling three-fourths, the increase in publicly held debts since the start of the current administration, this rise of foreign held debt is troubling because it makes our economy beholden to foreign creditors and represents another financial burden passed on to future generations. You can see, from 2001 until now, how the amount of foreign-held debt has more than doubled under this administration and this Republican- controlled Congress. Again, our government, the United States of America, has borrowed more money from foreign investors in the past 5\1/2\ years than the previous 42 Presidents combined. Unlike deficits in earlier years, current deficits have been primarily financed by foreign investors, as I mentioned earlier. The rise in foreign debt is troubling because it makes our economy beholden to foreign creditors. The rise in foreign-held debt is troubling because it makes our economy beholden to foreign creditors and represents another financial burden passed on to future generations, specifically our children and our grandchildren. As I mentioned earlier, it is a national security issue; it is a threat to our national security when we are borrowing money from places like China and OPEC to operate and run the day-to-day operations of the United States of America. Foreign-held debt is fundamentally different from domestically held debt since the interest payments on foreign-held debt flow outside the United States and reduce Americans' standard of living. The cost of servicing foreign-held debt is high. Local, State, and Federal Government interest payments to foreign investors totaled $114 billion in 2005, an amount that will grow rapidly if the Treasury continues to sell debt to foreign investors at the current rate. Why does all this matter? I think this best sums it up right here. Like interest payments on a family's credit card, every dollar spent on interest on the national debt is a dollar that doesn't educate a child, build a road, or keep the Nation secure. Because of recent record deficits, the government's annual interest payment is the fastest growing category of Federal spending over the next 5 years and has posted double-digit percentage growth for the past 2 years, interest payments towards spending on most national priorities, such as homeland security, education, veterans health care, yes, veterans health care. Isn't it time that our Nation keep its promises to our veterans? By 2011, annual interest payments under the administration's proposed budget will grow to $302 billion, a 38 percent increase from the current level. You can look here and see what is going on. Interest payments on the debt dwarf other priorities. In the red, you will see in the red that is the amount of money that we are spending of your tax money, I should say this Republican Congress is spending of your tax money, simply to pay interest on the national debt. In the light blue you can see the amount of your tax money going to educate your children and grandchildren.

Mr. ROSS. I yield to the gentlewoman from Texas.