Thomas Rooney

Mr. ROONEY

Mr. ROONEY. Mr. Speaker, I asked my constituents in Florida's 17th District how ObamaCare is affecting them. One said they were upset that their coverage was going to go up by more than $300. Another said that their insurance plan went from $204 per month to $720 per month and that they couldn't afford that. Others reported increases of 100, 200, even 400 percent. Most devastating were those that are on Medicare Advantage who are set to lose their doctors. One woman lost her primary care doctor of over 20 years. Another whose husband lost five doctors, including a cardiologist that has cared for him since his heart transplant, said that they are not able to keep their doctors or their insurance plans. Worst of all is the impact on Florida families. One gentleman in my district said: I have looked at quotes for my family of three. It looks like it will cost us about $5,000 more a year. I may have to get a divorce so my wife and son can afford the insurance. If I do, they will qualify for discounts we don't get if we are married. Mr. Speaker, there are stories like this all across Florida and the country. So much for, if you like your plan, you can keep it. Now all of our constituents are suffering.

Mr. ROONEY

Mr. ROONEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the Veterans Pension Protection Act as part of this important legislation. Last year, veterans groups came to my office with a problem called ``pension poaching'' that targets retired veterans. Currently, the VA only considers income at the time a veteran applies for benefits, meaning it can't determine if an applicant has diverted assets to qualify for benefits. Under this scam, unethical financial advisers and firms prey on elderly veterans by promising to help them qualify for VA pension benefits if they divert their assets into trusts or annuities and charge excessive fees for their services. GAO has identified this fraud as a major weakness in the VA pension program, leaving taxpayers and retired veterans on the hook. My bill imposes a 36-month look-back period that would track veterans' incomes to determine if they are truly eligible. This will discourage financial predators from duping elderly veterans, help reduce the claims backlog, and ensure that low-income individuals for whom the program was intended are not robbed of their benefits. I want to thank Congressmen Schrader, Bilirakis, and Barber for their work on this bill, and especially Chairman Miller for including it as part of this package to improve services for our Nation's veterans.

Mr. ROONEY

Mr. ROONEY. I want to thank my friend from Florida (Mr. Radel) for bringing this amendment to the floor today. Madam Chair, I would have liked to have seen something that went specifically to not arming the so-called ``rebels'' in Syria, but I think it's important that we also address this issue of the President of the United States and what his obligations are to this Congress and to the American people under the War Powers Act. The Founding Fathers didn't want one person to be able to take us to these wars in foreign lands. They wanted there to be debate, deliberation, and for the President to have to come and make the argument to the American people through their representation as to why something is such an important part of our national interests that he would send our men and women into harm's way to potentially die for us in that land. In this case, we have Assad, who is a dangerous dictator in the Middle East. On the other hand, we have the rebels, who are infiltrated by al Qaeda and other bad actors--the same people we've been fighting, by the way, over the last 10 years. So whose side are we on--Sunni? Shia? It's a civil war in the Middle East. What is our national interest? Ladies and gentlemen, if you can't answer that question, if you're not absolutely sure--as the President needs to make us sure through the War Powers Act and through authorization, which this amendment requires--then you cannot support sending our men and women or getting involved in Syria or even sending weapons to the so-called ``rebels'' over there. Support the Radel amendment. Make the President make the case for Syria. Come to Congress, and let the people decide.

Mr. ROONEY

Mr. ROONEY. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 287, 288: my flight from Florida was canceled; the next flight arrived after first votes. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes,'' on both.

Mr. ROONEY

Mr. ROONEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the 2013 FARRM Bill, which will help ensure a safe, affordable, and abundant food supply for all Americans. I represent one of the largest agricultural districts east of the Mississippi, and I'm proud to represent Florida's dairy and vegetable farmers, citrus and sugar growers, and beef cattle ranchers. This bill will serve them well, and it will serve Florida's taxpayers well, too. The FARRM Bill includes much-needed reforms to agricultural programs. It provides relief from unnecessary Federal mandates. It saves the taxpayers $35 billion and reduces the size of government by eliminating or consolidating more than 100 programs. In particular, I am pleased that this bill addresses the growing problem in my district of citrus disease. Diseases like greening have already wiped out over one-quarter of the citrus acreage in Florida. If we don't reverse this trend soon, we won't have enough crop to sustain our existing processing plants, and the problem will only spiral from there. Florida will lose jobs and our economy will suffer. But this will impact all Americans, because if Florida isn't growing oranges, you won't be putting orange juice on your breakfast table. Mr. Speaker, if we want to have a safe, abundant, and affordable food supply, we need to pass the FARRM Bill.

Mr. ROONEY

Mr. ROONEY. Mr. Speaker, on November 5, 2009, Nidal Hassan, after coordinating with known terrorist leader Anwar al-Awlaki, opened fire at Fort Hood, Texas, killing 14 and wounding 32 others. This was clearly an act of terror, yet the Department of Defense and the Army have classified this case as workplace violence. This is an insult to the brave men and women who were killed and injured that day. But this isn't about semantics; this is about who we are as Americans. By declaring their deaths as injuries as a result of workplace violence, the Department denied these soldiers and their families benefits like VA health care, counseling and critical mental health services, disability benefits, and combat-related special compensation. It's also made them ineligible to receive the Purple Heart. As someone who served in the Army at Fort Hood, I can say without hesitation that the Army should be ashamed of this poor level of care and outright disrespect it has shown our soldiers. Yesterday, I joined one Republican and one Democrat, Congressman Wolf and Congressman Fattah, in sending a letter to Secretary Hagel asking them to change the designation from workplace violence to combat- related. Let us send a message that that is who we are as Americans and that is how we treat our veterans.

Mr. ROONEY

Mr. ROONEY. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 105 on final passage of H.R. 249, I inadvertently voted ``nay.'' I would have voted ``aye,'' which is consistent with my past position on this legislation. In the 112th Congress, I voted ``aye'' on rollcall No. 538 on final passage of H.R. 828, which is virtually identical to H.R. 249.

Mr. ROONEY

Mr. ROONEY. Mr. Speaker, yesterday the administration, in an effort to drive home the devastating impacts of sequestration, indicated that they would begin releasing criminal aliens held in detention centers across the United States. This policy is not only a shortsighted scare tactic, but it is also a completely inappropriate way to handle our fiscal problems. By releasing these criminals out into the communities, the Obama administration is also playing politics with American safety. Not to mention, the administration is placing an undue additional burden on the already strained Federal programs that have succeeded in identifying, arresting, and removing criminal aliens. Ordering the release of criminals back into our communities because their crimes aren't serious enough to qualify for deportation completely ignores DHS's core mission to address our Nation's illegal immigration problem. We're putting our communities at risk, stressing local law enforcement, and not saving a dime once repeat offenders find themselves back in the system. Mr. Speaker, we are a Nation of laws. We would do well to remember that.

Mr. ROONEY

Mr. ROONEY. Madam Speaker, keeping our Nation safe is our most important responsibility under the Constitution as Members of Congress. When we talk about sequestration, we're really asking are we really going to shirk that responsibility, are we really going to cut national defense and force our country to grow weaker and weaker over the next 10 years. If we don't prevent these massive cuts, we'll be left with our smallest ground forces since 1940, fewest ships since 1915, and our smallest Air Force in our history. Our Secretary of Defense says these cuts would be devastating and would seriously damage readiness. Does anything else we really do here matter if we knowingly let our defenses down, if we aren't ready to be able to defend ourselves? If there's wasteful spending in the Pentagon budget that we could cut without impacting national security, then we should do so. I led the fight to kill the extra engine for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program, saving taxpayers billions of dollars. The White House doesn't dispute the impact of these cuts, but won't put forward an alternative. The Majority Leader of the Senate won't schedule a vote on the House bill, but won't introduce a plan either. We have to do something to avoid these massive cuts to keep our country safe.

Mr. ROONEY

Mr. ROONEY. Madam Chair, on rollcall No. 505, I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``no.'' Amendment No. 5 Offered by Mr. Markey

Mr. ROONEY

Mr. ROONEY. Mr. Speaker, America's health care sector is wrought with waste, fraud and abuse, but the home healthcare industry has proposed thoughtful reforms that will strengthen program integrity and achieve substantial savings without burdening beneficiaries. Among the home health community's proposals are measures to reduce the abusive use of home health care services in order to eliminate excessive overpayments, as well as implement initiatives that will drive innovation and reduce program costs. Other proposed safeguards achieve savings by screening questionable claims, improving payment accuracy, and targeting bad actors. The home health care industry's proposal is a responsible initiative and should be taken into consideration as Congress continues to address ways to reduce health care costs and improve patient care. Home health care is a key source of clinical treatment for millions of Americans and is meeting complex needs in the most cost-effective, patient-preferred setting available--patients' own homes. Unfortunately, some are now advocating the reintroduction of a copayment for home health services at a time when the industry is already threatened by arbitrary yearly payment cuts. I believe that the imposition of a home health care copayment and misguided cuts could seriously impact Florida's seniors and result in increased Medicare costs. The home health community is vital to upholding our commitment to America's seniors and the millions of beneficiaries who depend on a meaningful and affordable Medicare program.

Mr. ROONEY

Mr. ROONEY. Mr. Speaker, it is with great honor that I rise to pay tribute to a true American hero, Dan Aguilar of Palm City, Florida. Dan has been awarded the Silver Plaque International Alpine Solidarity Award, given to individuals who have risked their lives to save others in dangerous mountain accidents. Dan is a well-known mountain rescuer who deserves both the admiration and the praise of this body. Dan grew up in Dallas, Texas, where he resided for 18 years. After graduating from Crozier Tech High School, he served in the US Army for four years. Upon returning to the United States, he moved to Vail, Colorado where he began his now renowned career in mountain rescue. Dan's love for the mountains has seen him travel the globe and conquer the most dangerous alpine trails in the world. What's more, his mountain climbing adventures have taken him to Mexico, Ecuador, Alaska, and Argentina. But it is not his accomplishments as a climber or mountain hiker that have earned him this prestigious award, but rather it is his courage as a mountain rescuer. In the early 1980's, Dan suffered the crushing loss of a dear friend that completely changed his view of climbing. For some time he was unable to even fathom climbing again, but this experience eventually drove him to the line of work that has made him a living legend. He has been a member of the Vail Mountain Rescue Group in the nearly three decades since. For Dan, saving the life of another seems to come naturally. In fact, this award is not the first time he has received recognition for his devotion to helping others. He was also awarded the Mountain Rescue Association's Outstanding Individual Service Award. In all, it is estimated that Dan has been involved in around 500 different rescue missions since his involvement with Mountain Rescue. His advanced rescue skills have also been utilized in rescues on Mt. Rainier in Washington, the Pamirs in Russia, and the Aconcogua in South America. Dan's dedication and incredible compassion to help others have earned him a legendary reputation and the admiration of people around the world. According to Tim Cochrane, a fellow member of Mountain Rescue, in an article in The Vail Daily by Tamara Miller, ``Aguilar is the first volunteer rescuer in North America to win the award.'' Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the State of Florida and the U.S. Congress, I congratulate Dan on this distinguished and well-deserved award. He is a great American who deserves our gratitude and praise. Dan, your community, State, and Nation are proud of you.

Mr. ROONEY

Mr. ROONEY. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. ROONEY. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. My amendment simply codifies in the NDAA that any foreign terrorist detained be tried in a military tribunal set up by this Congress rather than in an Article III court. The reason for that is quite simple. Article III courts, which are reserved for our citizens, afford constitutional rights: the right of an attorney, the right to remain silent, a right to face your accuser and to contradict the evidence that's brought against you, evidence which sometimes is being offered by the government and by people in the intelligence community-- information and sources that need to be protected. Military tribunals, I think, are the more adequate venue for foreign terrorist enemy combatants to be tried and to be given due process fairly, which would also protect our sources and would also protect the way that we gather evidence by men and women in uniform and by panels of men and women in uniform. I had the pleasure of serving in the United States Army JAG Corps. They are people of the utmost integrity and the utmost fairness. Specifically, despite the fact of our moving further away from 9/11, the war on terror continues, as we have seen with Abdulmutallab, the underwear bomber, as we have seen with Major Nidal Hasan in the Fort Hood shootings, as we have seen with the Times Square bombing, and as we have seen as recently as last week in a second attempt at an underwear-type bombing on an airplane. So, for these reasons and for the reasons stated previously with regard to detainees at Guantanamo Bay, for those who are not U.S. citizens but who are foreign terrorist detainees--and they should get due process--I believe in the due process venue of the military tribunals and military court down in Guantanamo Bay so that they may get their day in court in a fair way, one that is humane and just. With that, Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. ROONEY. Mr. Chairman, I yield 90 seconds to my friend from Arkansas (Mr. Griffin).

Mr. ROONEY. Mr. Chairman, may I inquire as to the time remaining.

Mr. ROONEY. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. ROONEY. Mr. Chairman, I would just say to some of the things that have been said that I don't think that what this amendment is saying is in any way disparaging what Article III courts can do or would be successful doing. Certainly I would agree that they could be adequate in prosecuting criminals and people that do crimes in this country. What we are talking about are foreign enemy terrorist combatants, people that commit acts of war against this country in furtherance of the authorization that this Congress passed. What we have done as a Congress is set up military commissions in ways that can protect evidence, ways that can protect witnesses and sources, and, in my opinion, in a way that the Article III courts might not be able to. I'm not saying that they couldn't. I'm saying that it is a better venue. Just like when we talked about earlier the Ranking Member Smith and Amash amendment, which would preclude the use of military tribunals. As much as the ranking member is saying that options should be on the table, we're saying the same thing. With that, I hope my colleagues will vote for this amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. ROONEY

Mr. ROONEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the Jack Nicklaus Congressional Gold Medal Act, officially recognizing the significant role Jack Nicklaus has played in promoting athletic excellence and good sportsmanship in the game of golf, as well as the significant charitable contributions and activities in our community. Growing up in north Palm Beach County, I had the pleasure of attending high school with Mr. Nicklaus' children. Like many good parents, he was very involved in all school activities, especially sporting events. I can't recall a game across the State of Florida that our school was involved in where he wasn't there. He was always up there in the stands, cheering us on. It's no secret that Jack Nicklaus is widely regarded as the most accomplished professional golfer to ever play the game. But to us, we just saw him as a devoted husband to Barbara and an excellent father of Jackie, Steve, Nan, Gary, and Mike, and now lots of grandchildren. He is also a philanthropist, as has been stated, who has worked tirelessly to help underserved children and their families in Palm Beach County and across the State of Florida. Through his charitable foundation, Mr. Nicklaus has raised more than $12 million for children's health services. He has also done a lot for warfighters and veterans recovering after returning home from war. I am proud to cosponsor this legislation to honor Jack Nicklaus, a truly great American, and for his many charitable efforts and for his contributions to the State of Florida and to American society and culture. I consider myself blessed to personally know him and his family. I want to say thank you to Congressman Baca from California for his leadership in getting cosponsors for this bill. He worked very hard.

Mr. ROONEY

Mr. ROONEY. Mr. Speaker, today I rise in support of the legislation designating the United States Postal Service located in my district at 401 Old Dixie Highway in Jupiter, Florida, as the Roy Rood Post Office Building. Roy was a longtime resident and a founding father of my hometown of Tequesta, Florida. Roy was born in 1918 on a farm in Jupiter, Florida, one of 11 children. Roy's childhood was spent working on his family's dairy farm where he learned the value of a hard day's work and fostered his love of the outdoors. The Rood farm was also home to Tequesta's first post office. Rood joined the U.S. Navy in 1941, following the attack on Pearl Harbor. He served with dignity and honor as a trained instructor and aviation mechanic throughout World War II. Rood was stationed on the USS Hollandia C 97, a jeep aircraft carrier that was part of the fleet that participated in the Battle of Guam. By the end of the war, Roy had risen to the rank of aviation mate first class and was an acting chief petty officer. Following the war, Roy returned home to Florida where he started a landscaping business that continues today. Before his death in October of last year, Roy Rood helped found American Legion Post 271, of which I'm a member; the local Kiwanis Club; the First Bank of Jupiter; and Jupiter Christian School. Tequesta has seen many changes over the last 60 years and has grown due to the hard work and dedicated lives of people like Roy Rood. He was a fixture in my own hometown of Tequesta and in the many philanthropic organizations along the Treasure Coast, and they are directly attributed to his efforts. The residents of Tequesta are lucky to call Roy Rood our town's founding father. It would be a fitting tribute to Roy Rood's legacy and service to name the post office in Jupiter in his honor. Mr. Speaker, over the last several years, I got to know Mr. Rood and his wife personally. I can honestly say there is no better, gentler, and kinder man than Mr. Rood. He will truly be missed.

Mr. ROONEY

Mr. ROONEY. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 74 I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.'' General Leave

Mr. ROONEY

Mr. ROONEY. Mr. Speaker, the protections provided by the United States Secret Service are vital to assessing security threats and providing a secure environment for our Nation's leaders. One key aspect of the Service's mission is to secure buildings and grounds where our leaders work and live, including the White House and the Naval Observatory. My bill would explicitly protect these residences of the President and the Vice President from intruders and would clarify current law to distinguish between those who are able to enter the grounds lawfully, like the Secret Service, and those who enter without permission. This bipartisan bill would improve existing criminal law to ensure that the Secret Service can continue to implement strategies that prevent potentially catastrophic security breaches. I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this commonsense, bipartisan piece of legislation to protect our Nation's leaders and national security. I thank Mr. Smith from Texas for his leadership on this issue, the Judiciary Committee, and Mr. Johnson of Georgia.

Mr. ROONEY

Mr. ROONEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak about an issue that's deeply important to me, not as a Republican or Democrat, but as a Catholic American. President Obama's Department of Health and Human Services announced it will require religious institutions like Catholic schools, Catholic hospitals, and Catholic charities to cover services that violate their core beliefs, like contraception, sterilization, and the morning-after pill. Catholic schools like Notre Dame will be forced to pay millions in penalties if they don't comply with the Federal Government mandate. Now, this is about much more than just contraception. This is about Catholic schools and Catholic hospitals having to sacrifice conscience to comply with ObamaCare. I believe that this is a clear violation of the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment of the Constitution. What's worse, I believe that this is a move by the Obama administration to establish secularism over religion. That would strike at the core of religious liberty of the Constitution and who we are as Americans. It's just one more reason why ObamaCare is bad law and needs to be repealed.

Mr. ROONEY

Mr. ROONEY. Our national debt now stands at more than $15.2 trillion. That amount exceeds the entire U.S. economy. Washington's reckless spending now burdens every child born in the U.S. with a $50,000 share of the national debt. If we don't do something about it now, we will be the first generation in American history to leave our children a nation worse than we inherited. Our skyrocketing debt doesn't just affect our children and their future. It damages our economy and our unemployment rate today. It is a drag on the economy that fuels uncertainty. It hurts our credit rating. It slows economic growth and it prevents job creation. When President Obama took office, he pledged to cut the deficit in half by 2012. After 3 years in office, has he yet to introduce a credible plan to get our deficits under control? No. Instead, under his watch the country has hit three of the highest deficits on record. That is unacceptable. The national debt has grown by more than 4.6 trillion in his 3 years in office. We can't solve our debt problems until we address the root cause of this issue, and that is overspending here in Washington, D.C. In the House, we passed a budget that would put our country on the path to a balanced budget. The Senate didn't pass a budget, they didn't take up our budget. They did nothing. We passed nearly 1 trillion in spending cuts and we are planning to do more this year. The Senate, as I said, has not written a budget in nearly 1,000 days. If your family was trying to get out of the red, you would sit down at the table, figure out how much you're making, how much you're spending and where you should cut back. The Senate refuses to do that. Think about that for a second. How on earth are we supposed to get our fiscal house in order if the Senate won't even write a budget? Why won't the Senate do their job? One word: Politics. It is no wonder we have a 12 percent approval rating. It is time to cut up the credit cards here in Washington and stop spending money we don't have. The longer we wait, the harder it will be to fix the mess that we are in. Putting our country on a responsible fiscal path is the only way to restart the economy and ensure our children a prosperous future.

Mr. ROONEY

Mr. ROONEY. Mr. Speaker, today I wish to congratulate Mr. William (Bill) Osborne of Atlanta, Georgia for 50 years of dedicated Federal service to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. He has also served as the Commandant of the 3388th USARF School in Tampa, Florida with prior assignments in the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Logistics at the 81st U.S. Army Reserve Command in Atlanta, Georgia. He retired from the Army Reserve in April 1993 at the rank of Colonel. I hope Members will join with me today to thank Mr. Osborne for his contributions to the Corps of Engineers, his local community and the United States of America. Mr. Osborne began his career with the Corps of Engineers in 1957 as a summer hire in the Operation Division in the Nashville District. After graduating from the University of Tennessee with a Bachelor's Degree in Engineering he joined the Jacksonville District as a Civil Engineer. In 1970, he transferred to the South Atlantic Division and took a position as the Assistant Chief of the Program Management Office. Since 1988 he has been the Chief of the Civil Works Integration Division. In this position he puts together the South Atlantic Division's portion of the President's Civil Works Budget for Congressional consideration. Some of the major projects for which he has provided Congress justification documentation include the Tennessee Tombigbee Waterway, Herbert Hoover Dike, Portugues and Bucana Rivers, and two of the largest environmental projects in the country; South Florida Ecosystem Restoration and the Comprehensive Restoration of the Mississippi Barrier Islands projects. Over his stellar career he has justified billions of Federal dollars in support of these and countless other much needed projects. For over two decades he has provided exceptional support to Division Commanders, Chiefs of Engineers and the Assistant Secretaries of the Army in their annual testimony before Congress. Through his expert knowledge of the Civil Works process Mr. Osborne consistently provided outstanding service in the relationship with the public, Congressional Members and their staffs, involving controversial and complex issues. Mr. Osborne has received numerous awards in recognition of his outstanding efforts to include Superior Civilian Service Awards, the Meritorious Civilian Service Award and he has been nominated for the prestigious Decoration for Exceptional Civilian Service from the Secretary of the Army. Bill Osborne is a tremendous assist not only to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, but also to Members of Congressional Delegations throughout the Southeast and his country. I want to sincerely wish Bill and his wife, Fran, every success in the future.