Mike Ross

Mr. ROSS

Mr. ROSS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of House Resolution 390, a resolution honoring and recognizing the importance of Ouachita National Forest on its 100th anniversary. I am very fortunate to represent a good part of the Ouachita National Forest within the Fourth Congressional District of Arkansas. I'm also pleased that the entire Arkansas Congressional Delegation, Congressmen John Boozman, Vic Snyder and Marion Berry have joined me in supporting and cosponsoring this bipartisan bill honoring one of our Nation's true national treasures. This marks the 100th birthday or anniversary, if you will, of one the largest and oldest national forests in the southern region of the United States, the Ouachita National Forest. As Chairwoman Christensen indicated, in 1907 President Theodore Roosevelt created the Arkansas National Forest on reserved public lands south of the Arkansas River. And by 1926 President Calvin Coolidge issued an Executive order to change the name of the forest to the Ouachita National Forest, named after the Ouachita Mountains, which stretch from near the center of Arkansas to southeast Oklahoma, and after the principal river which drains the national forest, the Ouachita River. For the past 100 years, the Ouachita National Forest has remained a vast, magnificent region that offers spectacular recreation, scenic and wilderness areas for numerous visitors from throughout the world. The forest provides an array of activities, ranging from ATV recreational activities and opportunities, to hiking and to mountain biking to horseback riding trails and swimming. The forest also contains five lakes, often referred to as ``Diamond Lakes,'' which are known for their crystal clear quality and beautiful scenery. In addition to the scenic views and outdoor activities the forest has to offer, the Ouachita National Forest is also one of the only places in the United States that contains an incredible crater area which allows visitors and rock collectors to dig for real diamonds and quartz crystals. Today the Ouachita National Forest also includes more than 1.8 million acres in Arkansas and eastern Oklahoma, and provides timber and forestry products throughout the United States. And while the word ``Ouachita'' is the French spelling of the Native American word for ``good hunting ground,'' the forest also contains six locations that have been designated as wilderness areas covering 65,000 acres. These areas provide environmentally safe habitats for wildlife and fish, including many threatened and endangered species, as well as watershed protection and improvement and wilderness area management. This resolution honors and recognizes all the important services and contributions that the Ouachita National Forest continues to make available to visitors all across our country and throughout the world who come here to visit and to the spirit and practice of ensuring that our natural resources remain sources of pride for our citizens, our communities and, yes, our Nation. I'm proud to sponsor a resolution commemorating its 100th anniversary, and I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of House Resolution 390 today and honor Ouachita National Forest's centennial celebration.

Mr. ROSS

Mr. ROSS. Mr. Speaker, I rise this evening, as I do most Tuesday evenings, on behalf of the 43-member strong, fiscally conservative Democratic Blue Dog Coalition. Some people may say, what's the Blue Dog Coalition and what's it all about? Well, Mr. Speaker, we're a group of fiscally conservative Democrats that are trying to restore fiscal discipline and common sense to our Nation's government. We're a group of conservative Democrats that were founded back in 1994 after the Republicans took control of the Congress. And at the time, it was a group that felt like they were being choked blue by the extremes of both parties. And today, we believe that we are in the middle, which is where we believe the majority of the people in America are. We talk a lot about fiscal discipline. We talk a lot about accountability, because it is important, Mr. Speaker, that this Congress and this administration is responsible and accountable for how your tax money is being spent. As you walk the halls of Congress, it is not difficult to know when you're walking by the office of a fellow Blue Dog Member, a fellow fiscally conservative, common-sense Democrat, because you will see this poster that says the Blue Dog Coalition, and it reminds Members of Congress and the constituents, the citizens of America who walk the halls of Congress that today the U.S. national debt is $8,831,299,779,793. Again, 8,831,299,779,793. That's a big number. But if you were to divide that by every man, woman and child living in America today, including those born today, every one of us, our share of the national debt is $29,242. It's what those of us in the Blue Dog Coalition refer to as the debt tax, D-E-B-T tax. And that is one tax that cannot be cut and that cannot go away until we get our Nation's fiscal house in order. So for the past 6 years we've seen record deficit after record deficit, which has resulted in this record debt. Now that the Democrats have a majority in this Congress, we, as members of the Blue Dog Coalition, are trying to put our Nation's fiscal house back in order. We are trying to restore fiscal sanity to our Nation's government. We are trying to restore common sense to our Nation's government. As a small child growing up, I always heard it was the Democrats that spent the money, and it was the Republicans that balanced the budget. And after 6 years of the Republicans controlling the White House, House and Senate, what did they leave us? They left us the largest debt ever, ever in our Nation's history and they gave us record deficit after record deficit. When I first came here 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. Republican leadership refused to give me a hearing or a vote on that bill and now we know why, because they have continued to raid the Social Security Trust Fund to fund tax cuts for folks earning over $400,000 a year, and they have continued to pass record deficit after record deficit and leaving our children and grandchildren with the bill. 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. Mr. Speaker, this is a doubling, 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, and the debt tax, D-E-B-T is one that cannot be repealed until we get our Nation's fiscal house in order and return to the days of a balanced budget. At the Ross household in Prescott, Arkansas, my wife makes sure that we live within our budget. And I can assure you that most of the people in America live within their budget. Small businesses, big businesses, the majority of businesses in America live within their budget. Farm families live within their budget, and I don't believe it's asking too much to ask our Nation to do what 49 States are doing, and that's living within their means, requiring a balanced budget. Why do deficits matter? Deficits reduce economic growth. They burden our children and grandchildren with liabilities. They increase our reliance on foreign lenders who now own 40 percent of our debt. Let me repeat that. They increase our reliance on foreign lenders who now own 40 percent of our debt. The U.S. is becoming increasingly dependent on foreign lenders. Foreign lenders currently hold a total of about $2.199 trillion of our public debt. Compare this to only $623.3 billion in foreign holdings in 1993. Who are they? Our Nation continues to borrow money not only from the Social Security Trust Fund, but under the past 6 years of Republican rule, not only have they borrowed money from the Social Security Trust Fund, with absolutely no provision made on how it's going to be paid back or when it's going to be paid back, but they've also borrowed money from foreign central banks and foreign investors. And much like David Letterman, we have a top 10 list. The top 10 current lenders, countries loaning money to the United States of America that, for the past 6 years, under these failed policies of the Republican leadership, have given tax cuts to people earning over $400,000 a year leaving the rest of us to foot the bill. So who are they? Rounding out the list, number one, Japan, our Nation has borrowed $637.4 billion from Japan; China, $346.5 billion; the United Kingdom, $223.5 billion; OPEC, imagine that, $97.1 billion; Korea, $67.7 billion; Taiwan, $63.2 billion; the Caribbean Banking Centers, $63.6 billion; Hong Kong, $51 billion; Germany, $52.1 billion. And rounding out the top 10 countries that lend money to the United States of America to help us pay off these massive debts: Mexico. That is right. The United States of America has borrowed $38.2 billion from foreign central banks and foreign lenders in Mexico to fund tax cuts in this country for folks earning over $400,000 a year. Record deficit after record deficit equals what? The largest debt ever in our Nation's history: $8,831,299,779,793. That is right. Today, the U.S. national debt, $8,831,299,779,793 and some change, but we ran out of room on our poster. Well, as I mentioned earlier, another reason deficits should matter is because interest payments on the debt are one of the fastest-growing parts of the Federal budget. In fact, our Nation is spending about a half billion dollars a day, that is with a ``b.'' Our Nation is spending about a half billion dollars a day paying interest on the national debt. And that, Mr. Speaker, is before we borrow an additional billion dollars every day. And that is money that cannot go to education, to homeland security, to veterans' benefits, to build highways and roads, that can create jobs and economic opportunities, because it is going to pay interest on the national debt. It is going to pay interest to Japan, China, United Kingdom, OPEC, Korea, Taiwan, Caribbean Banking Centers, Hong Kong, Germany, and Mexico. In my district, I represent about half of Arkansas, 29 counties. About 13 of them are in the delta region, one of the poorest regions in our country. A lot of hope in that region that I-69 will some day bring jobs and economic opportunities. I-69 was announced 5 years before I was born in Indianapolis; and with the exception of 40 miles in Kentucky and the section they are now building from Memphis to the casinos, there has not been any of it completed in 50 years south of Indianapolis. We need about $1.6 billion to complete Interstate 69 across my district in Arkansas. That is a lot of money. At least for a country boy from Prescott, Arkansas, that is a lot of money. But, Mr. Speaker, we will spend more money paying interest on the national debt in the next 4 days than it would take to build I-69 across the delta region of my district, the delta region of this country, creating jobs and economic opportunities for generations to come. That is on the eastern side of my district bordering Mississippi. On the western side of my district, bordering Texas and Louisiana to the south and also Oklahoma to the west, there is a lot of hope for the completion of Interstate 49. It will be the first north-south corridor through the middle of our country. We need about $2 billion to complete Interstate 49. They have been talking about it since I was a small child. About $2 billion is needed to complete Interstate 49. A lot of money. But, again, we will spend more money paying interest on the national debt in the next 4 days than it would take to complete I-49 across Arkansas. There are a lot of people that would like to see U.S. Highway 82 four-laned across Arkansas from Texas to Mississippi. It is the only section of U.S. Highway 82 that is not four-laned. I don't know. It would take $3 or $4 million to do it. We will spend more money paying interest on the national debt today than it would take to four-lane U.S. Highway 82. Interstate 530 is under construction in my district. We need $300 million to complete it. It will connect I-30 and I-40 in Little Rock and Pine Bluff with someday I-69 between Monticello and Warren, Arkansas, and eventually, hopefully, find its way to connect with I-20 in Louisiana at Bastrop, Louisiana. We need, depending on what section of it you want to complete, between $300 million and $800 million to complete that highway. A lot of money. But, again, we will spend more money paying interest on the national debt in the next 2 days than it would take to complete this interstate, creating jobs and economic opportunities. If you think back with me, the last two Presidents to make any significant investment in our Nation's infrastructure was Roosevelt with the WPA program and Eisenhower with the interstate program. It is time that we invest in this Nation's infrastructure. We can create jobs and put people to work to build this Nation's infrastructure; and, once it is completed, it will create economic opportunities and jobs for many generations to come. But as long as we are spending half a billion dollars a day paying interest on the national debt and borrowing another billion dollars each day from places like Japan and China and Mexico, we will continue to neglect our Nation's infrastructure. And that is one reason why it is important that we get our Nation's fiscal house in order. Let me tell you another reason that interest payments on our national debt do matter, and this chart makes it crystal clear. In the red, Mr. Speaker, you will see the amount of money that we spend each year paying interest on the national debt. That is the red bar. Contrast that to what we spend on education. We say we love our children. We talk about how we want to ensure that they receive a world-class education. We talk about making college education more affordable for our young people. We talk about giving 3- and 4-year-olds a fighting chance, and we should. We live among the freest of all people in the world. One of the few things in life we do not get to choose is who our parents are. Some children get really lucky; some don't. I did, and I can tell you that as an American citizen and as a Member of this House I believe that we have a duty and an obligation to be there for all of God's children. We can invest a little bit in them at an early age and have a good chance at turning a lot of children that have been neglected at home into productive, tax-paying adults. Or we can continue to neglect them and do what? Spend tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands of dollars warehousing them for a lifetime behind bars. I believe that we should commit ourselves to education. But look at the light blue bar. Look at how much we are spending on our children's education compared to the red bar, how much we are spending simply paying interest on the national debt. Homeland security, a lot of talk these days about homeland security. But look how much we are really putting into homeland security. Again, the red bar demonstrates the amount of money that we are spending of your tax money, Mr. Speaker, paying interest on the national debt. Contrast that to the light green bar, which demonstrates how much money we are spending protecting our homeland. And, finally, and very sad, the dark blue bar, look at the amount of money we are spending on our veterans, on our veterans. And we all know that we have got a new generation of veterans coming home from places like Iraq and Afghanistan. Contrast the dark blue box, the amount of money we are spending taking care of our veterans, keeping our promises to our veterans, ensuring that they receive health care, compare how much we are spending on our veterans to how much we spend paying interest on the national debt. And I believe that chart very clearly demonstrates why deficits matter, why debts matter, and why the 43 members of the fiscally conservative Democratic Blue Dog Coalition are committed to commonsense principles that will help get this Nation's fiscal house back in order. One of the new Members of Congress and new member of the Blue Dog Coalition is my good friend from Indiana, Mr. Joe Donnelly. At this time, I yield to him and thank him for joining me this evening.

Mr. ROSS. The gentleman is correct. I mean, we talk a good game when it comes to our veterans, but then we saw the truth about what was really going on at Walter Reed. And tomorrow there will be a hearing with the Armed Services Committee that is a follow-up to a series that NBC News did about whether or not our men and women in uniform are really getting access to the very best body armor on the market today. I don't care who makes it. I don't care where it comes from. I would prefer for it to come from America. I believe that is important. But if our Nation is going to continue to send $12 million an hour, $12 million an hour of your tax money to Iraq, I believe it is time to tell the Pentagon and this administration and the Iraqis that it is time for them to be accountable for how this money is being spent. And part of that is ensuring that our brave and dedicated men and women in uniform and, yes, my brother-in-law is in his 18th year in the Air Force, and I am very proud of him. My first cousin is in the Army and getting ready to go back to Iraq for a second time. We all have been affected by this war. We all know someone who has been to Iraq. Unfortunately, too many of us know people who have been injured or have died; and I question this government on how many of those deaths and life-changing injuries could have been avoidable had we ensured that our men and women in uniform were properly equipped. So this hearing tomorrow is going to be about body armor. And, again, I don't care who makes it. I don't care where it comes from. I want it to come from America. But just because our men and women were receiving the very best body armor when the war began in 2003 does not necessarily mean that in 2007 that that is still the very best body armor on the market. And John Grant, I want to thank John Grant from Pearcy, Arkansas, in Garland County, the father of a soldier in the 39th Brigade of the Arkansas National Guard. His son has been to Iraq once. You know the deal with the Guard. You are supposed to go once every 5 years, but the President did that waiver thing, and now they are headed back again. They haven't even been home 3 years. It is my understanding that by Christmas, or shortly thereafter, they will be back for a second tour of duty. These are not full-time military, these are members of the Arkansas National Guard, 39th. John Grant wants to ensure that his son and all soldiers, not just the 39th, but all soldiers in Iraq are receiving the very best body armor possible. This hearing tomorrow before the Armed Services Committee tomorrow will be very important. I am committed, as are some 42 Members of Congress that signed a letter with me to the Pentagon, in ensuring that our brave men and women in uniform are provided the very best in equipment and the very best in body armor so that we can ensure their safe return. I yield to the gentleman from Indiana.

Mr. ROSS. Well, I thank the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Donnelly) for his insight and for his work on the Veterans Committee, among others. We appreciate what he's doing there to try to help our veterans and our men and women in uniform. These are examples of why it is important that we get our Nation's fiscal house in order. As long as we've got record debt after record debt and record deficit after record deficit that the Republicans have given us, and we can't turn this thing around overnight, but we've got a budget that's going to put us back in balance by 2012, perhaps sooner. That is important if we are going to meet America's priorities, improving our infrastructure, improving and making health care more affordable and more accessible, funding education at the level it deserves to ensure our children receive a world-class education, keeping our homeland safe, making homeland security a lot more than just a buzz word. Let's put our money where our mouth is and ensure that every American citizen in this country is safe from terrorists. And of course, making sure that our veterans have the health care and have the things they need and were promised for their service to our country. A lot of talk about Iraq. If you ask a hundred different people what they think about this Iraq policy, you get about a hundred different answers. I can tell you one of the things that the Blue Dog Coalition is united on is demanding accountability for how your tax money, Mr. Speaker, is being spent in Iraq. Now, for the last 4 years, if you had questioned the funding in Iraq, the President would tell you you're unpatriotic. Well, members of the Blue Dog Coalition are now standing up and saying enough is enough, and we demand accountability for how your tax money, Mr. Speaker, is being spent in Iraq. What are the Iraqis doing with your tax money, some $12 million an hour? Is enough of it going to protect our men and women in uniform? Is enough of it going to provide them the most advanced body armor on the market today? Well, we all know that waste, fraud and abuse of taxpayer dollars has happened in the Iraq war. In fact, over the past several years, media and government reports have detailed examples of the abuse of taxpayer dollars in the government's funding of military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. As recently as April of this year, the Government Accountability Office, GAO, has released reports detailing examples of how long-standing problems with the management of government contracts, yes, government contracts, continue to provide opportunities for fraud, waste and abuse in the funding of the war in Iraq. Specifically, the GAO identifies the following major factors contributing to the mismanagement of contracts and ultimate waste of taxpayer dollars. Number one, military commanders and senior officials at the Department of Defense do not have visibility over contractors, which prevents the Department of Defense from knowing the extent to which it is relying on contractors for support in Iraq. Also, the Department of Defense lacks clear guidance and leadership for managing and overseeing contractors. The Department of Defense personnel lack the most basic ability to make sure that government contractors even provide the services they are being paid to provide. The report finds that the Department of Defense's limited visibility has unnecessarily increased contracting costs to the Federal Government and introduced unnecessary risk. For example, one Army official estimates that about $43 million, $43 million is lost each year on free meals provided to contractors' employees at deployed locations who also receive a per diem, food allowance. Additionally, the GAO found that the Department of Defense and its contractors all too often do not have a clear understanding of reconstruction objectives and how they translate into the terms and conditions of a contract. As a result, at least $1.8 billion of taxpayer money has been obligated on contracts without Department of Defense and the contractors reaching an agreement on the final scope and cost of the work. The report gives one particularly shocking example of this, where the government allocated $84 million for an oil mission and never agreed upon the final terms of the task order until more than a year after the contractor completed the work. The GAO estimates that the United States has obligated about $14 billion to restore essential services such as oil, electricity and water, and more than $15 billion to train, equip and sustain Iraqi Security Forces. However, the Iraqi government continues to be fraught with corruption, operating ineffectively and inadequately resourced accountability institutions. U.S. officials estimate that a shocking 20 to 30 percent of the Iraqi Ministry of Interior personnel are ``ghost employees,'' nonexistent staff paid salaries with your tax money, Mr. Speaker, that are collected by other corrupt officials in Iraq. The GAO also highlights in its report the weaknesses in the $15.4 billion program to support the development of Iraqi security forces. Consequently, poor security conditions have hindered the management of the more than $29 billion that has been obligated for reconstruction and stabilization efforts since 2003. Additional government and media reports have exposed equally as outrageous examples of waste, fraud and abuse in the funding of the war in Iraq. Is this $12 million an hour we are sending to the Iraqis being used to protect and equip our brave men and women in uniform? One such report details an instance where U.S. administrators could not account for $20.5 million in development funds for Iraq grants. Another government report exposed a situation where $7.3 million was mismanaged, and $1.3 million entirely wasted during construction of a police academy in Iraq. The Office of the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction just recently released its quarterly report to Congress. As in previous reports, this most recent one again describes continued abuses in the government's funding of the war in Iraq. And we are going to go into more of this in just a little bit. We are going to provide specific examples of what was contained in that report. But at this time I want to yield to my fellow Blue Dog, a new Member of Congress from Pennsylvania, a veteran of the Iraq war, a captain that served in Iraq, and that is the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Murphy).

Mr. ROSS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Pennsylvania, Mr. Murphy, an Iraq war veteran, for his insight and leadership within the Blue Dogs and within this Congress on restoring accountability, on how our tax money is being spent in Iraq, and ensuring that it is being spent to protect our men and women in uniform. The gentleman raised an interesting point. We are in year five of this thing now, and a recent survey indicated that 71 percent of the Iraqi people don't want us there. In fact, 60 percent of them think it is okay to kill a U.S. soldier. You contrast that with Afghanistan, where 80 percent of them are glad we are there. The last time I checked, Osama bin Laden was spotted closer to Afghanistan than he was to Iraq. So, while we continue, and I think this is just me personally, I think we have got to demand more from the Iraqi government to train Iraqis to be on the front lines, providing the police and military force for them in this civil war. This line that it is better to fight the terrorists there than here, I don't buy that. If there are some 10 to 14 to 20 million illegal immigrants in this country, do you think we only allowed illegal immigrants into this country? Terrorists are already here in America, and that is why we need to do more to protect our homeland by properly funding the Department of Homeland Security. That is why we need to demand more of the Iraqis and to do more in Afghanistan, that is becoming more and more neglected every day. I yield to the gentleman from Indiana, Mr. Donnelly.

Mr. ROSS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Indiana, a fellow Blue Dog Member, Mr. Donnelly, for his insight, and invite him to continue to stay with us for the remaining 15 minutes or so we have got here this Tuesday evening on the House floor to talk about accountability, on how your tax money, some $12 million an hour of your tax money being spent to Iraq is being spent. You can see the cost of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Starting in 2001- 2002, $2.5 billion; $51 billion in 2003; $77.3 billion in 2004; $87.3 billion in 2005; $100.4 billion in 2006; and $60 billion in 2007. That was before the supplemental that we passed about a week ago which was about $100 billion. So we are actually up to about $160 billion for 2007, which brings this number not to nearly $400 billion, but to now nearly $500 billion, nearly half a trillion dollars. Now, I promised to show a few of the examples of the waste, fraud and abuse of taxpayer dollars that was detailed in the report from Iraq. Number one, of 150 primary healthcare centers that were originally planned to be built, only 15 have been completed. Of those 15, only eight are currently open to the public. In addition, eight primary healthcare centers have stopped work altogether. Number two: The U.S. Agency for International Development Office of Transition Initiatives was supported by $350 million to focus on democracy building, human rights, civic programs and investigations of crimes against humanity. However, USAID could not determine whether the intended outputs of the 4,789 grants under this contract were even accomplished because of ``insufficient documentation.'' Number three: The report also found water damage in one healthcare facility that caused bathroom floor tiles to break and ceilings in lower floors to leak and collapse, increasing the health risk to patients. Number four: A shortage of sinks and toilets combined with workmanship deficiencies, inferior materials and insufficient maintenance, caused significant deterioration to the barracks at one military base, a facility which cost our government $119.5 million. The report also details construction and equipment installation at the Iraq Civil Defense Headquarters that did not comply with the international standards required by the contract and task order. This particular project cost the Federal Government, our government, our tax money, Mr. Speaker, some $3 million. We will come back to this in a little bit. Number six: At the Baghdad International Airport, an enhancement project costing the Federal Government $11.8 million required the installation of 17 new generator sets. However, when the airport was recently inspected, 10 of the 17 generator sets were not even operational. And the list goes on and on. We will come back to it. Mr. Speaker, at this time I yield back to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Murphy).

Mr. ROSS. I thank Mr. Murphy of Pennsylvania for joining us this evening and for helping write House Resolution 97, providing for Operation Iraqi Freedom Cost Accountability. We are not just talking about this. We are trying to do something about it. In fact, some of these key provisions were included in the defense authorization bill, and we want to thank Chairman Skelton and members of Armed Services for doing that. It does four things. It calls for transparency on how Iraq war funds are spent. It calls for the creation of a Truman-like commission to investigate the awarding of contracts. It provides a need to fund the Iraq war through the normal appropriations process and not through the so-called emergency ``let's hide the real cost of the war'' supplementals. And, finally, it encourages the use of American resources to improve Iraqi assumption of internal policing operations. In other words, put Iraqis on the front line and get our soldiers off the front line and provide our soldiers to train their soldiers so they can fight their own civil war. I yield to Mr. Donnelly.

Mr. ROSS. I thank the gentleman from Indiana for his insight and the gentleman from Pennsylvania for his. Mr. Speaker, if you have any comments, questions or concerns, you can e-mail us at BlueDog@mail.house.gov. That is BlueDog@mail.house.gov. I am talking about House Resolution 97, providing for Operation Iraqi Freedom Cost Accountability. We are not just talking about a problem. We are trying to fix the problem. There are only 43 of us in the Blue Dogs, a group of conservative Democrats, and yet we already have 63 cosponsors on this bill. House Resolution 97 also calls for the Iraqi government and its people to progress towards full responsibility for internally policing their own country. Recently, members of the Blue Dog Coalition worked together with House Armed Services Committee Chairman, Ike Skelton, to include key provisions of House Resolution 97 in the fiscal year 2008 National Defense Authorization bill. With the passage of this bill, we took the first step towards ensuring complete fiscal transparency in the funding of the war in Iraq. The American people deserve to know that their tax dollars are being spent wisely and that our troops have the resources they need to succeed. The Blue Dogs are committed to passing legislation that accomplishes this goal. Members of the Blue Dog Coalition also believe strongly that funding requests for the Iraq war should come through the normal appropriations process, as I mentioned earlier. Since 2003, the Republican-held Congress has been funding the war through emergency supplemental requests, two of them in 2003, another one in 2004 and 2005 and 2006 and 2007. It is time we stop hiding the cost of this war. We demand fiscal accountability in Iraq.

Mr. ROSS

Mr. ROSS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the memory of Helen Bradley, a woman who spent a lifetime giving back to the community she loved dearly through her dedicated service as Jefferson County clerk. She was a true treasure to Pine Bluff and Jefferson County, and her honorable service will never be forgotten by the State of Arkansas. She passed away May 11, 2007, in Pine Bluff, AR, at the age of 59. I am grateful to have known Helen Bradley and to have had the privilege to call her a personal friend. She spent her life and career making her community a better place for all who called it home. Mrs. Bradley's lasting impact on Jefferson County will be remembered forever. Her selfless and devoted career began after graduating from what is now the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, when she was hired as deputy county clerk for Jefferson County. She held that position for 22 years before she was elected to serve as Jefferson County's first African-American county clerk. During her career, she also served as secretary for the Jefferson County Quorum Court and the Equalization Board. Mrs. Bradley was also a member of the International Association of Clerks, Recorders, Election Officials and Treasurers, the West Pine Bluff Rotary Club and she was a proud member of the Mount Calvary Missionary Baptist Church. As a member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, NAACP, she received the distinguished Pine Bluff Branch NAACP Dove Freedom Award in October 2006. My deepest condolences go to Mrs. Bradley's husband, Sylvester Bradley, Sr., of Pine Bluff; her two sons, Sedgwick McCollum of Flint, MI, and Brandon Bradley of Piano, TX; her daughter, Tarnisha Gibson of Columbia, SC; her two brothers, James Edward McClinton of Flint, MI, and John Albert McClinton of Pine Bluff; her sister, Cecile Blade of Pine Bluff; and to her 9 grandchildren. Mrs. Bradley will be greatly missed, and her contributions to the city of Pine Bluff, Jefferson County and the State of Arkansas will never be forgotten.

Mr. ROSS

Mr. ROSS. Mr. Speaker, I rise this evening on behalf of the 43 Members that make up the fiscally conservative Democratic Blue Dog Coalition. We are conservative Democrats, we are commonsense Democrats that want to restore fiscal discipline to our Nation's government. Mr. Speaker, as you walk the halls of Congress, as you walk the halls of this Capitol and the Cannon House Office Building and the Longworth House Office Building and the Rayburn House Office Building, it's not difficult to know when you're walking by the door of a fellow Blue Dog member because you will see this poster that reads, ``The Blue Dog Coalition''. And it will tell you, it serves as a reminder to Members of Congress and to the general public that walk the halls of Congress that today the U.S. national debt is $8,807,559,710,099. And I ran out of room, but if I had a poster that was just a little bit more wide, Mr. Speaker, I would have added 85 cents. Your share, every man, woman and child, including the children born today in America, if you take that number, the U.S. national debt, and divide it by the number of people living in America today, our share, everyone's share of the national debt is $29,174.38. It is what those of us in the Blue Dog Coalition refer to as ``the debt tax,'' d-e-b-t tax, which is one tax that can't go away, that can't be cut until we get our Nation's fiscal house in order. Mr. Speaker, one of the first bills I filed as a Member of Congress back in 2001 was a bill to tell the politicians in Washington to keep their hands off the Social Security trust fund. The Republican leadership at the time refused to give me a hearing or a vote on that bill, and now we know why; because the projected deficit for 2007, based on the budget bill written when the Republicans controlled Congress, they will tell you is only $172 billion. Not so. It's $357 billion. The difference is the money they are borrowing from the Social Security trust fund, with absolutely no provision on how that money will be paid back or when it will be paid back or where it's coming from to pay it back. You know, Mr. Speaker, when I go down to the local bank in Prescott, Arkansas, and sit across from a loan officer and get a loan, they want to know how I am going to pay it back, when I am going to pay it back and where the money is going to come from to pay it back. It is time the politicians in Washington keep their hands off the Social Security trust fund. The national debt, 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. That is a doubling of the 211-year debt in just a decade, in just 10 years. Interest payments on the debt are one of the fastest growing parts of the Federal budget. And the debt tax is one that cannot be repealed. People ask me, why should I care about the fact that our Nation is in debt? Why should I care that we continue to borrow billions of dollars? After all, it's future generations that are going to be stuck with the bill. I submit to you, Mr. Speaker, that it should matter for a lot of reasons. But here is a good one right here: interest payments. Our Nation is borrowing about a billion dollars a day. We are spending about a half a billion a day paying interest on a debt we've already got before we borrow another billion dollars today. I-49 is important to the people in Arkansas in my congressional district. I need nearly $2 billion to finish I-49, an interstate that was started when I was in kindergarten. That's a lot of money, at least for a country boy from Prescott and Hope, Arkansas. But I submit to you, Mr. Speaker, that we will spend more money paying interest on the national debt in the next 4 days than what it would cost to complete Interstate 49 in Arkansas, creating with it all kinds of economic opportunities and jobs. That's on the western side of my district. I represent about half the State. On the eastern side of my district, I-69 is very important. I need about $2 billion to finish I-69. I-69 was announced in the State of Indiana, in Indianapolis, 5 years before I was born. That was 50 years ago. And with the exception of about 40 miles in Kentucky in a section they are now building from Memphis to the casinos, none of it has ever been built south of Indianapolis. $2 billion is a lot of money, but we will spend more than that in the next 4 days paying interest on the national debt. As you can see from the chart here, in red, that is the amount of money, of your tax money, Mr. Speaker, that we will spend paying interest on the national debt this year. Compare that to how much we are spending on our children and their education. You know, folks in this country come up to me all the time saying that English should be the official language. And I personally don't necessarily disagree with that. But let me tell you what people should be equally concerned about; they should be equally concerned about the fact that we have got more young people today in India learning English than in America. We've got more young people today in China learning English than in America. And it is not because they love America, it is because they want our jobs. Mr. Speaker, it is absolutely critical that we provide our young people with a world-class education, and yet you can see we are spending a fraction on educating our children of what we will spend this year paying interest on the national debt. You hear a lot of talk about homeland security. We all take off our shoes when we go through the airports. And I guess we feel a little bit safer, but look at what our real commitment as a Nation is to homeland security compared to what we are spending paying interest on the national debt. Homeland security is in the green, the red is the interest we are paying on the national debt. And finally, veterans. We can talk about patriotism all we want, but I will tell you what, the rest of the world can look at America and determine how much we value our soldiers by how we treat our veterans. And a whole new generation of veterans are coming home from Iraq and Afghanistan. How do we value them? The dark blue shows how much we are spending of your tax money, Mr. Speaker, on our veterans compared to the red, which is the amount we've been simply paying interest on on the national debt. Where is this money coming from that we are borrowing a billion dollars a day? I have already told you, Mr. Speaker, a lot of it is coming from raiding the Social Security trust fund. Where is the rest of it coming from? Foreign central banks and foreign lenders. That's right, Mr. Speaker. In fact, to put it another way, this administration has borrowed more money from foreigners in the past 6 years than the previous 42 Presidents combined. Let me repeat that. This administration has borrowed more money from foreign central banks and foreign investors in the past 6 years than the previous 42 Presidents combined. Foreign lenders currently hold a total of about $2.199 trillion of our public debt. Compare that to only $623.3 billion in foreign holdings in 1993. Who are they? The top 10 list. Japan. The United States of America has borrowed $637.4 billion from Japan to fund tax cuts in this country for people earning over $400,000 a year, leaving our children with the bill. China, $346.5 billion. The United States of America has borrowed $223.5 billion from the United Kingdom. $97.1 billion from OPEC. And we wonder why gasoline is $3.25 a gallon today in south Arkansas. Korea, $67.7 billion; Taiwan, $63.2 billion; the Caribbean banking centers, $63.6 billion; Hong Kong, $51 billion; Germany, $52.1 billion. And get a load of this. Rounding out the top 10 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 and to fund the war in Iraq: Mexico. Our country has borrowed $38.2 billion from Mexico to fund our government. So debts do matter. Deficits do matter. And in this case, I submit to you, it is a national security issue. So what do we do about it? As members of the fiscally conservative Democratic Blue Dog Coalition, we have got a plan. We have got a plan for budget reform. We have a plan to demand accountability in Iraq. We support our soldiers, and as long as we have soldiers in harm's way, we are going to make sure they are funded. But this administration has acted like if you challenge them on how they are spending your tax money in Iraq, then you are unpatriotic. We are not going to stand for that anymore, because, Mr. Speaker, we believe that this administration and the Iraqi Government should be accountable for how $12 million of taxpayer money is being spent every hour in Iraq. That is right, our Nation is spending $12 million of your tax money, Mr. Speaker, every hour in Iraq, and it is time that the Iraqis be held accountable for how that money is being spent. It is time we demand that they step up and accept more responsibility for training the Iraqis to be able to take control of their police and military force. And, yes, it is time that we demand more accountability from this administration on how this money is being spent on Iraq and ensure that it is being spent on our brave men and women in uniform. John Grant of Pearcy, Arkansas, brought to my attention the fact that our soldiers may very well not be equipped with the most advanced and the best body armor that is made. I submit to you, Mr. Speaker, that we must ensure that the very best in body armor is being provided to our men and women in uniform. We have learned a lot about that in the last few days through an NBC investigative report. I am proud to tell you that over 40 Members of Congress, including a lot of my Blue Dog friends, have signed on to a letter to the administration, to the Pentagon, demanding that further tests be done, and that our men and women in uniform be provided with the very best in body armor. I am joined by a number of fellow Blue Dogs this evening, and it is with great honor that I introduce at this time my friend, an active member of the Blue Dog Coalition from the State of Colorado, Mr. John Salazar.

Mr. ROSS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Colorado for his active involvement in the Blue Dog Coalition and for his words this evening. Some people may be saying, what is the Blue Dog Coalition? The Blue Dog Coalition was founded back in 1994 shortly after the Republicans took control of Congress by a group of conservative Democrats, Democrats that used to be Yellow Dog Democrats. The saying in the South is that a Democrat is so Democratic that they would vote for a yellow dog if a yellow dog was running for office. That is where the saying comes from. There was a group of conservative Democrats back in 1994 that felt like they were being choked blue by the extremes of both parties. That is what the Blue Dog Coalition is all about. We are a group of fiscally conservative Democrats that want to restore common sense and fiscal discipline to our Nation's government. We don't care if it is a Democrat or Republican idea. We ask ourselves, is it a commonsense idea, and does it make sense for the people who send us here to be their voice in our Nation's Capital? An active and leading member of the Blue Dog Coalition, an independent voice within the Congress from the State of Georgia, is Mr. David Scott. At this time I yield to him.

Mr. ROSS. I thank the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Scott) for joining us, as he does most Tuesday evenings. At this time we are honored to be joined by a veteran of the Iraq war, a new Member of Congress, and I yield to Congressman Murphy of Pennsylvania.

Mr. ROSS. I thank Congressman Murphy from Pennsylvania for his insight and life experiences as a veteran of the Iraq War, and for sharing his thoughts with us this evening as we demand accountability and common sense on how your tax money, some $12 million an hour of your tax money, is being spent in Iraq. It is important, we believe, that we make sure that it is being spent on our troops, to protect and support them, and that it be accounted for. That's what H. Res. 97 is all about, and we're very pleased, and we want to thank the chairman of the Armed Services Committee, Mr. Skelton, for including key provisions of our legislation, written in part by Mr. Murphy, in the Defense authorization bill this year. I yield to an active member of the Blue Dog Coalition, gentleman from the State of Tennessee (Mr. Lincoln Davis).

Mr. ROSS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Tennessee for his insight, and, Mr. Speaker, if you've got any comments, questions or concerns of us, you can e-mail us at bluedog@mail.house.gov. Again, Mr. Speaker, if you've got any comments, questions or concerns for us, you can e-mail us at bluedog@mail.house.gov. This is the Special Order with members of the 43-Member-strong, fiscally conservative, Democratic Blue Dog Coalition. We are committed to trying to restore common sense and fiscal discipline to our Nation's government, and a former cochair of the group and active member of the group from the State of California (Mr. Cardoza), I yield to him.

Mr. ROSS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from California and could not agree with him more. There's a lot of folks that believe Members of Congress are held to a different standard, and they should be. They should be held to a much greater standard, a much harsher sentence than the average citizen on the street, because if Members of Congress can come here and make laws, they ought to abide by those laws they make. And if they can't, they should have additional time put onto their sentence. And I want to thank the gentleman from California for trying to work with those of us in the Blue Dog Coalition to clean up the mess here in Washington. I'm very pleased at this time to yield the time that is left if he would like it to the cochair for administration for the fiscally conservative Blue Dog Coalition, the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Boyd).

Mr. ROSS. I thank the gentleman from Tennessee. In the hour we have been on the floor this evening talking about the need to restore common sense and fiscal accountability to our Nation's government, we have seen the national debt increase by at least $40 million. Today, the U.S. national debt is $8,807,559,710,099. And for every man, woman and child in America, their share of the national debt is $29,174. Every Tuesday night, those of us in the fiscally conservative Democratic Blue Dog Coalition take to the floor of the House to demand that we pass commonsense solutions to this problem, because it affects all of us. It's time that we restore common sense and fiscal discipline to our Nation's government.

Mr. ROSS

Mr. ROSS. Madam Speaker, this evening, as most Tuesday evenings, I rise on behalf of the 43 member strong, fiscally conservative Democratic Blue Dog Coalition. We are 43 fiscally conservative Democrats that are committed to restoring common sense and fiscal discipline to our Nation's government. We are not from one particular region of the country. Members of the Blue Dog Coalition stretch from California and Utah to New York, and we are united in trying to restore fiscal sanity to our Nation's government. Why? Because today, the U.S. national debt is $8,821,563,738,020. And I ran out of room, but right here it should say 12 cents. And for every man, woman and child in America, your share of the national debt is $29,225.95. It is what we refer to as the debt tax, d-e-b-t, which is one tax that cannot be cut; it cannot go away until we get our Nation's fiscal house in order. It is hard now to believe, but from 1998 to 2001, we had a balanced budget in this country of ours. And now, under the past 6 years of Republican rule, with the Republicans controlling the White House, the House and the Senate, after 6 years we've got the largest debt ever in our Nation's history and the largest deficit ever in our Nation's history. In fiscal year 2004, it was $568 billion. In fiscal year 2005, it was $493.6 billion. In fiscal year 2006 it was $434 billion. Fiscal year 2006 it was $247 billion, and the projected deficit for fiscal year 2007 is $172 billion, but not really. The projected deficit for fiscal year 2007 is $357 billion. When they tell you it's only $172 billion, they're not counting the money they're borrowing from the Social Security trust fund. When I first came to Congress in 2001, the first bill I wrote was a bill to tell the politicians in Washington to keep their hands off the Social Security trust fund. The Republican leadership refused to give me a hearing or a vote on that bill, and now we know why, because they are using that money to fund our debt. $357 billion deficit projected for fiscal year 2007, and much of that is coming, about half of that is coming from the Social Security trust fund. Where is the rest of it coming from? It's coming from foreigners. In fact, this administration has borrowed more money from foreigners in the past 6 years than the previous 42 Presidents combined. Let me repeat that. This administration has borrowed more money from foreigners in the past 6 years than the previous 42 Presidents combined. My good friend and a founder of the Blue Dogs, John Tanner, put it best when he said, If China decides to invade Taiwan, we will have to borrow more money from China to defend Taiwan. David Letterman has a top 10 list, and we've got one, too. The U.S. is becoming increasingly dependent on foreign lenders. Foreign lenders currently hold a total of about $2.199 trillion of our public debt. Compare this to only $623.3 billion in foreign holdings back in 1993. Again, this administration in the past 6 years has borrowed more money from foreign central banks and foreign investors than the previous 42 Presidents combined. Japan, $637.4 billion. The United States of America has borrowed $346.5 billion from China. The United Kingdom, $223.5 billion. OPEC, yes OPEC, and we wonder why gasoline is approaching three bucks a gallon. Our Nation has borrowed $97.1 billion from OPEC to fund tax cuts in this country for folks earning over $400,000 a year. Korea, $67.7 billion. Taiwan, $63.2 billion. The Caribbean banking centers, $63.6 billion. Hong Kong, $51 billion. Germany, $52.1 billion. And rounding out the top 10 list, and this will surprise some folks, the United States of America's 10th largest loanee to our government is the Government of Mexico and investors in Mexico. Mexico, investors have loaned the United States of America $38.2 billion. That's right, the United States of America has borrowed $38.2 billion from Mexico. And that rounds out the top 10 list of the foreign countries that our Nation is borrowing money from. We believe this is very critical to our Nation's security. That is why we are trying to restore fiscal discipline and common sense to our Nation's government, put an end to these massive debts and massive deficits. Our Nation is borrowing a billion dollars a day, but before we borrow a billion dollars a day, we're going to spend half a billion paying interest on a debt we've already got. And that's a half a billion that can't go for Social Security, it can't go for health care, it can't go for new roads and fixing roads and infrastructure. It can't go for education, it can't go for homeland security, and it cannot go for veterans benefits. Why? Because we are spending that money, a half a billion dollars a day, simply paying interest on the debt we've already got before we increase it a billion dollars today. I think we need that half a bill to invest in the best and most advanced technology out there when it comes to bullet-proof vests to protect our men and women in uniform, to give them the best and most advanced equipment they need. I've got a father, John Grant, in Hot Springs, Arkansas, that's very concerned about his son going back for a second tour of duty in Iraq and not having the most advanced body armor that's on the market today. A half a billion a day going to pay interest on the national debt, how many modern, state-of-the-art body armor vests could we buy with just the amount of money we're spending today paying interest on the national debt? I am joined this evening by a number of fellow Blue Dogs, and I am grateful they have come down to spend some time with me on the House floor this evening. At this time I would like to yield to a fellow Blue Dog, someone that's very active on the Blue Dog Coalition, someone that serves on the Armed Services Committee, among other important committees, and that is my friend from neighboring Oklahoma, Dan Boren.

Mr. ROSS. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Indiana, a new member of the fiscally conservative, Democratic Blue Dog Coalition, Mr. Ellsworth, for joining us for the discussion this evening here on the House floor, as we are every Tuesday night, here talking about restoring fiscal sanity to our national government. Public opinion polls indicate that the American people really aren't concerned about the debt, which is approaching $9 trillion. But I am here to make the case that every one of us in America should be concerned about the national debt, because despite what some people may believe, despite what the Republicans have believed for the past 6 years, money does not grow on trees in Washington, DC, and we have got to begin to run this government the way that I can assure you Holly Ross makes sure that we run the Ross household in Prescott, Arkansas, and that is living within our means. We cannot continue to borrow $1 billion a day. We cannot continue to spend half a billion dollars a day paying interest on the debt we have already got. Why should it matter to every American? Look at this chart right here. Interest payments on the debt dwarf other priorities. For example, in the red you can see the amount of money we are spending of your tax money, Madam Speaker, paying interest on the national debt. You compare that to education in the light blue, compare it to homeland security in the green, compare it to veterans benefits in the blue. You can see where the priorities lay with this administration for the past 6 years. The majority of our money is being spent paying interest on the national debts, not going to educate our children, not going to keep our homeland safe, not going to fund veterans healthcare. At this time I yield to the gentleman from Georgia, a fellow Blue Dog member, Mr. Scott.

Mr. ROSS. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Georgia for his work with the Blue Dog Coalition, 43 of us, fiscally conservative Democrats. I welcome the gentleman from Georgia, Mr. Scott, to remain on the floor with me, if time will permit for him, for a discussion more in depth over the next 40 minutes as we talk about restoring not only fiscal sanity, but also accountability to our government, not only here at home but to the money being spent in Iraq. We all support our troops, Democrats and Republicans alike. Up until now, the President would have you believe that we are sending $12 million an hour to Iraq, and if you question how any of it is being spent, he would tell you you are unpatriotic. Well, the Blue Dogs have said enough is enough. It is time to demand accountability for how that money is being spent, to ensure it is being spent to provide the very best equipment and the best of the best for our brave men and women in uniform serving us abroad today, not only in Iraq but also Afghanistan. I am joined this evening by the gentleman from North Dakota, Mr. Earl Pomeroy, and a fellow Blue Dog member. Welcome.

Mr. ROSS. I thank Mr. Pomeroy for his active participation within the fiscally conservative Blue Dog Coalition and for his insight this evening. The gentleman is referring to H. Res. 97, which is the Blue Dog bill providing for Operation Iraqi Freedom Cost Accountability; and today, Chairman Skelton, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, announced that key provisions of that bill demanding accountability on how your tax money is being spent in Iraq, Madam Speaker, will be included in the defense authorization bill that is scheduled to come to the floor. A leader within the Armed Services Committee, someone who is a member of the Ranger Hall of Fame, who served our country in the Vietnam War, Mr. Marshall, is here, and I yield to you at this time.

Mr. ROSS. I appreciate the gentleman and his leadership within the Blue Dog Coalition and his work on the House Armed Services Committee and for his insight this evening. We all support our troops, Republicans and Democrats alike. As members of the Blue Dog Coalition, we want accountability for how your tax money is being spent. In 2001 and 2002, $2.5 billion was being spent in Iraq. In 2003, $51 billion. In 2004, $77.3 billion. In 2005, $87.3 billion. In 2006, $100.4 billion. And 2007 to date, $60 billion, for a total of $378.5 billion. We are currently spending about $10 billion a month, about $2.5 billion a week. You do the math. It is about $12 million an hour of your tax money we are sending to Iraq. What are they doing with it? Number one, they ought to be ensuring that our brave men and women in uniform get the best body armor available to them. There are reports out that indicate maybe that is not exactly the case. This was brought to my attention by John Grant from Pearcy, Arkansas, just outside of Hot Springs, in Garland County. His son is getting ready to go back for a second tour of duty. He visited a National Guard Armory where he actually saw body armor that was stamped ``Fragile, Handle With Care.'' It is time we did right by our brave men and women in uniform and provide them with the resources they need. The Blue Dogs have written a bill with the help of Captain Patrick Murphy, a veteran of the Iraq war and fellow Blue Dog member, and Jane Harman, former ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee, among others, and our bill demands accountability on how our tax money, your tax money, is being spent in Iraq. One of the reasons that we decided to do this bill was because of reports like this: Washington Post, Monday, April 30, a story by Dana Hedgpeth, entitled, ``U.S. Rebuilding in Iraq is Missing Key Goals, Report Finds.'' Less than a third of Iraq's 3.5 million students attend class. In the medical field, for example, only 15 of 141 primary health care centers have been completed, and only eight of those are open to the public. The list goes on, and we will talk more about this in a little bit. At this time I yield to a former co-chair of the Blue Dogs and an active member of the fiscally conservative Blue Dog Coalition, the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Matheson).

Mr. ROSS. I thank the gentleman from Utah, and the gentleman's right, the Blue Dog Coalition, we want to thank Chairman Skelton for including key provisions of our bill, H. Res. 97, in the Defense authorization bill. H. Res. 97 was previously introduced by Blue Dog members and calls for transparency in how Iraq War funds are spent. Specifically, the Defense authorization bill addresses the lack of oversight and accountability in the war by requiring that the Government Accountability Office, commonly referred to as the GAO, report every 6 months on the handling of contracts in Iraq. In addition, Blue Dog members applaud the inclusion of measures in the Defense authorization bill which establish essential management goals for the Department of Defense and expand the authority of the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction to include all reconstruction funding, regardless of source or fiscal year. Again, we're all about providing the funding our troops need. We want to make sure that funding gets to them and that this administration's accountable for it and that the Iraqi people are accountable for how the money is being spent that we send to them. Mr. Speaker, if you have got any comments or questions or concerns for us, you can e-mail us at bluedogs@mail.house.gov. Again, that's bluedogs@mail.house.gov. I yield to my fellow Blue Dog member all the way from California (Mr. Costa).

Mr. ROSS. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from California, and as we have been discussing this hour, Mr. Speaker, H. Res. 97 demands accountability for how the money is being spent in Iraq. We all support our brave men and women in uniform. We all support our troops. We are all Americans first and foremost, but just as when a small town in America receives a grant they must be held accountable for how that grant money is spent, so should the Iraqi government. Again, Washington Post, Monday, April 30, by Dana Hedgpeth, entitled U.S. Rebuilding in Iraq Is Missing Key Goals, Report Finds. ``Before the U.S.-led invasion, Iraq's power system produced 4,500 megawatts a day with an aging infrastructure in which 85 percent of power plants were at least 20 years old, the report said. Reconstruction officials initially hoped to increase daily output to 6,750 megawatts by the summer of 2004, a target later lowered to 6,000 megawatts. But in the most recent quarter, Iraq generated only 3,832 megawatts a day.'' What does that mean? The story goes on to say, ``The shortage was particularly acute in Baghdad. Before the war, the city received an average of 16 to 24 hours of power a day. Last spring, Baghdad averaged 8 hours of electricity a day.'' That was last spring. ``This year, during the last week of March, the city received only 6.5 hours of electricity a day. The rest of the country, however, received an average of 14 hours of power a day.'' At this time, I yield to the gentleman that helped write H. Res. 97, which is of course the Blue Dog bill, to provide for Operation Iraqi Freedom cost accountability, to provide an accounting for how this $12 million an hour of your tax money is being spent in Iraq, the gentleman who helped white the bill, an active member of the Blue Dog Coalition, the gentleman from California (Mr. Thompson).

Mr. ROSS. I thank the gentleman from California for his work within the fiscally conservative Democratic Blue Dog Coalition to write and craft this Iraq war accountability bill known as House Resolution 97. In the remaining 3 minutes or so we have left, I am going to yield to my friend, fellow Blue Dog member from the State of Georgia, Mr. David Scott.

Mr. ROSS

Mr. ROSS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the memory of Mr. George Dunklin, Sr., who passed away May 5, 2007, in Pine Bluff, AR, at the age of 89. Mr. Dunklin had two passions in life--farming and tennis. After serving in the U.S. Navy during World War II, he returned to Arkansas where he helped run the family business, Planters Cotton Oil Mill, until he retired in 2005 as president after 66 years. He was the 1975 president of the National Cottonseed Association, Member of the Cotton Advisory Committee to the U.S. Agriculture Department Secretary and he received the 1990 Harvey W. McGeorge Award for Distinguished Service to Agriculture, among other honors. When Mr. Dunklin was not working on behalf of farmers across the country, he could be found on the tennis court. His love for the sport of tennis took him around the world. Not only was he the Arkansas State Men's Tennis Champion a record nine times, but he also played in two Grand Slam tournaments, the French Open and the U.S. Open. Mr. Dunklin was elected to the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame, the Arkansas Tennis Hall of Fame and was a past president of the Arkansas Tennis Association. Mr. Dunklin was an active member of the First Baptist Church of Pine Bluff, where he served as deacon and Sunday School teacher. He was a member and past president of the Pine Bluff Rotary Club and past president of the Pine Bluff Chamber of Commerce. He was the director of Simmons First National Corporation in Pine Bluff and he served as chairman of the Jefferson Regional Medical Center in Pine Bluff. My deepest condolences go to Mr. Dunklin's wife, Mary Elisabeth ``Lib'' Black Dunklin of Pine Bluff; his daughter Deborah Tipton of Memphis, TN; his son George Dunklin, Jr. of DeWitt; his two brothers William Dunklin of Pine Bluff and Louis Dunklin of Dallas, TX; and to his 5 grandchildren. Mr. George Dunklin, Sr., will be greatly missed in Pine Bluff, Jefferson County and throughout the State of Arkansas.