John Tanner

Mr. TANNER

Mr. TANNER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of an American veteran, a tireless public servant, an outstanding citizen and a dear friend, Mr. Robert Bell Sims. Bob will be laid to rest next month at Arlington National Cemetery. During Bob's long and distinguished career in the United States Navy, he served as a communications officer under two Secretaries of the Navy, then as the Deputy Chief of Information for the Department of the Navy. He also served on the National Security Council and the National Defense University. Bob retired from the Navy in 1984 at the rank of Captain but did not end his service to our nation's defense. He served in the White House as Deputy Press Secretary for Foreign Affairs and was later nominated and confirmed to the post of Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs. In 1987, Bob turned to his background in magazine and newspaper publishing, when he began fourteen years of service at the National Geographic Society. For thirty years, he was the owner and publisher of The Crockett Times. The work of his family and staff at the newspaper has long been important to Bob's hometown of Alamo, Tennessee, and indeed to all of us in Crockett County. Bob is survived by his wife, Patricia, four children and seven grandchildren. My wife, Betty Ann, and I have long cherished our friendship with Bob and Pat Sims and are greatly saddened by Bob's passing. He will be missed. We know, however, that the legacy he leaves behind will never be forgotten. Mr. Speaker, please join with me in honoring the long service, dedication and friendship of Bob Sims.

Mr. TANNER

Mr. TANNER. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this time. Mr. Chairman, I am concerned about the rule. I know that most Americans want to see us do everything possible to support our troops in the field and in harm's way, but there is $20 billion in this request that is full of fat and pork and is intended to construct, not reconstruct, infrastructure in Iraq. I asked for an amendment yesterday that was not made in order to make this in the form of a loan. We have this notion in Tennessee that people who receive the proceeds of the loan ought to be the ones borrowing the money. I take the position, Mr. Chairman, that Americans have paid with the blood of young American soldiers. And the people who are going to benefit from this $20 billion largess are going to be the Iraqis, not Americans. Let me say one further thing about this matter. Somebody has to borrow this money. Do my colleagues not think it ought to be the people who benefit from the proceeds of the loan? We are borrowing $20 billion, some of which comes from China. We had a $400 billion deficit this year. That is $16 billion in additional mandatory spending next year and every year thereafter on interest. This leadership in Washington, D.C. is spending more money than has ever been spent before in the history of the country. They are not spending it today, they are spending it tomorrow, and it is called interest and it is going to wreck our economy and wreck this country's future. So, Mr. Chairman, I think at least for now, with the blood of American soldiers being spilled, the least we can expect is that the people who get the proceeds of the borrowing ought to borrow it, not the American taxpayer.

Mr. TANNER

Mr. TANNER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the upcoming anniversary of National Day in the Republic of China on Taiwan. On October 10 of this year, the Republic of China on Taiwan will celebrate its 92nd National Day anniversary. I commend President Chen Shui-bian and Vice President Annette Lu for their leadership in helping Taiwan improve its domestic economy and increase its participation in the international economy. Taiwan has become one of our largest trading partners. Every year, the United States celebrates its independence on July 4th, honoring our nation's history and the ideals on which our great nation was founded. This week, Taiwan will celebrate a similar anniversary, which historically marks the beginnings of economic, social and political success that have helped Taiwan become so important to the international marketplace. Mr. Speaker, on this 92nd occasion of Taiwan's National Day, let us send our best wishes to the twenty-two million residents who live on the island. It is also important to remember that Taiwan has a strong relationship with the United States, and we hope this relationship will continue to flourish and grow in the years to come.

Mr. TANNER

Mr. TANNER. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 2264, the Congo Basin Forest Partnership Act of 2003. Having personally visited some of the areas that this bill will help to protect, I highly recommend it to the House, and hope that others will join in support of this effort. Secretary of State Colin Powell launched the Congo Basin Forest Partnership initiative that has swiftly grown into a bipartisan multinational effort to support national parks and well-managed forestry practices in the forests of the Congo Basin in Central Africa. The International Conservation Caucus, of which I am a founding member and co-chair, was formed in order to build support for the Congo Basin Forest Partnership initiative, and to help with other international conservation efforts in some of the most environmentally sensitive areas around the world. In the mission statement of the International Conservation Caucus, it is written that as members we share a conviction that the United States has the opportunity and the obligation to advance the protection of the worldwide environment for current and future generations. The mission of the Caucus is to act on this conviction by providing the strong U.S. leadership necessary to conserve the world's most biologically rich and diverse places. The Congo Basin Forest Partnership Act is one of the first steps in achieving our mission of international conservation, and I wish to thank my friend Clay Shaw for recognizing this need and for introducing this important bipartisan bill. The United States' contribution to the CBFP will focus on providing field-based conservation activities within 25,000,000 acres in Cameroon, The Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of the Congo. Forests in these six countries are being depleted at alarming rates. It is estimated that forest areas in the Congo Basin are being depleted at a rate twice the size of Rhode Island every year. The author of H.R. 2264 says it best in section 7 of the findings of the bill. It states, ``If current deforestation and wildlife depletion rates are not reversed, the six countries of the Congo Basin most immediately, but also the world, will pay an immense economic, environmental, and cultural price. Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to vote in favor of H.R. 2264, the Congo Basin Forest Partnership Act.

Mr. TANNER

Mr. TANNER. Mr. Speaker, the $12 billion that CBO says the House bill cuts from hospitals, $9 billion of that comes from hospitals serving rural communities. As I said the other day when we were talking about this approach, all the medical technology in the world is of no use to me or anyone else if it is not accessible. Over 47 percent of the 134 acute care hospitals in Tennessee are losing money. A lot of these hospitals are in rural areas that simply will not be able to remain open with the market basket reduction, with the way this bill is drafted, and with the demands that are being placed on them. Literally, if one believes that accessibility to medical technology is as important as the technology itself, and I cannot imagine anybody who would argue that it is not, if they cannot get to a doctor or a hospital with a heart attack in time, they are going to die. So it really does not make sense to say this medical technology is important in and of itself. There also has to be this accessibility issue to be addressed, and this bill is not addressing this accessibility issue. That is why this motion to instruct is important. But even if you do not believe that accessibility is a real goal that we ought to strive for in America, you have got the equity argument that the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Stenholm) made. Even if you say we know it may not be fair, but that is just the way it is, what about all of the jobs that are going be lost, jobs of dedicated medical professionals that want to help people in rural America? They live there voluntarily, they devote their productive years to curing and helping people who are sick, and they go out the window as well when these hospitals close. I would just implore the House to look at the system of health care delivery in our country and realize that this approach that the majority is taking is shortchanging hospitals, rural hospitals, and, more importantly, sick people all across this country, but particularly in rural areas, and is that the kind of country we want to have? Is that the kind of country we can be proud of? I think not. Mr. Speaker, I would urge that this motion to instruct be approved whenever we have a vote on it.

Mr. TANNER

Mr. TANNER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of P.V.'s Hut, which is celebrating its fiftieth year as a popular institution in my hometown of Union City, Tennessee. Over five decades, P.V.'s Hut has served millions of its famous specialty--hand-made hamburgers. P.V.'s Hut was founded in June 1953 by Horace Aaron ``P.V.'' and Mary Lou Peevyhouse. Their daughter and son-in-law, Sue and Jim Isbell, now operate the restaurant, but patrons know they are receiving the same exceptional service that generations of customers have received at the small diner for five decades. When I was a young boy, my family would go to P.V.'s for twenty-five- cent hamburgers and would dine at one of the two small tables located inside the restaurant at its original location. P.V.'s Hut has moved to a larger building now and can accommodate more guests at its booths and lunch counter. The prices have also changed over the years, but patrons still travel from miles away for hand-made hamburgers and baked-from- scratch pies at affordable prices. Mr. Speaker, as we look for ways to help our economy grow, let us take the opportunity to thank and praise those small business owners who work so hard every day to contribute to our local and regional economies. They truly make a difference, with their customer service- minded business philosophies and their dedication to the community. Because of its founders' and owners' love for old-fashioned food service, P.V.'s Hut has been rewarded with fifty years of success. Mr. Speaker, please join me in congratulating P.V.'s Hut on its long service to our community and hoping all the best for P.V.'s in the years to come.

Mr. TANNER

Mr. TANNER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me time. Mr. Speaker, what we are talking about here is no less than a matter of life and death. All of the medical technology in the world is not going to help somebody who cannot access the system. When you are talking about Tennessee, you are talking about 47 percent of the acute care hospitals in rural Tennessee are losing money. In the House bill you cut the market basket to those hospitals. There is no way that one can deny the fact that somebody is going to die needlessly because they do not have a hospital or an emergency medical room within 50, 60 or 70 miles, simply because they live in a rural area. You can argue about it, but there is no denying that it will happen. Somebody will die in rural America, because if this House bill goes through, you are going to see acute care hospitals in rural areas close, not to mention the fact that there are people involved. I think my friend, the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone), talked about the fallback provision. Because we live in a place where you do not need a blinker signal on your car because the guy behind you knows where you are going to turn off, we do not have a lot of choice. And that is what we are talking about here. We are talking about life and death in rural America. You may not live in rural America; but you have a cousin, an aunt or uncle, a brother, sister, or somebody that does; and these people are going to be irreversibly adversely affected if we do not accept the motion of the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Stenholm).

Mr. TANNER

Mr. TANNER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Dr. James Potts, who has dedicated his life to educating those around him. He is now celebrating an extraordinary milestone, his 50th year of teaching. Much of that time has been spent teaching at Bethel College in McKenzie, Tennessee. Jim served his country in the United States Navy during World War II, then took the opportunities available to him through the G.I. Bill to earn his degree. In 1953, Jim began his teaching career at Grayville High School in Illinois, where he taught until 1955. In the fall of 1955, Jim enrolled in Peabody College, now part of Vanderbilt University, where he earned his Ph.D., while also teaching at Belmont University in Nashville. After finishing his course work in 1957, Jim joined the faculty at Eastern Kentucky State University. After leaving Kentucky in 1961, Jim joined the staff at the University of Virginia, where he taught until 1964. That year, Jim married his wife Carolyn and, realizing the difference he could make at a smaller institution, began his tenure at Bethel College. Having taught there for almost 40 years now, Jim has the longest continuous service record among Bethel faculty members. He is greatly admired by his colleagues and current and former students for his skillful teaching and his commitment to education and his dedication to Bethel College. Jim has taught many courses at Bethel College, but he is perhaps most admired for his dedication to history, specifically his courses in History of the South, American Economic History and American Political Parties. Fifty years is an incredible milestone for any teacher to reach, but Jim is not content to end his notable career there. He plans to teach as long as he is able, and I am confident he will continue to touch the lives of many students, as he has done for five decades. Mr. Speaker, I ask you to join me in honoring an exceptional educator and an outstanding citizen, Dr. James Potts.

Mr. TANNER

Mr. TANNER. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to honor Robert Sidney Phelan, a fine public servant who has dedicated himself to the people of Tennessee throughout his life as a loyal citizen to our community. Robert attended Peabody High School in Trenton, Tennessee, where he excelled in both basketball and football. Graduating in 1952, he received a football scholarship at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. Dedicated to his family, Robert cut his college years short to return home and run the family business, an automobile dealership he ran for 50 years. In 1987, he received the ``Quality Care Award,'' the highest award the Ford Motor Company bestows on a dealer. Robert married Linda Gail Powell in 1958. They are the proud parents of Robert Sidney Phelan, Jr., Paul Edmund Phelan, and Mary LeAnn Phelan. Robert and his wife have three grandchildren and two step- grandchildren. In 1963, Robert became the acting Postmaster while continuing to run his auto dealership. He also served in the Tennessee National Guard, from which he retired as a First Lieutenant. Robert has long been active in helping our community. With the help of U.S. Senator Jim Sasser, Robert was instrumental in establishing a new National Guard Armory in 1991. He was Exalted Ruler of the Trenton Elks Lodge. As a fundraiser for the lodge, Robert Started Walking Horse shows, which became known as one of the best shows in West Tennessee. Robert aided the lodge in buying land and building their now existing lodge. Robert served as President of the Trenton Chamber of Commerce and he also won their prestigious Citizen of the Year Award. He was also a member of the Trenton Rotary Club. He served as a member of the Gibson County Election Commission for 36 years, devoting many of those years as Chairman. He has served on the board of Trenton Housing Authority for 34 years. He helped in forming the Pinecrest Country Club and served on that board, as well. He helped in forming the Trenton Special School District, where years later he helped replace the aging school building with a new high school. Believing that Gibson County could support a satellite community college, Robert was instrumental in raising money to fund Dyersburg State Community College in Trenton. It is obvious that Robert Phelan gives 100 percent of himself into everything asked of him for the people of Gibson County and the State of Tennessee. Robert has also served many years on the Trenton Industrial Board. Robert served on the board of Citizen State Bank, spending some of that tenure as Chairman. Robert worked diligently to form Citizen City and County Bank, which opened in 1997. Robert now serves as Chairman of the Board. Throughout his life, Robert has always devoted hard work to the Democratic Party on a local and statewide level. In 1974 Robert was appointed Honorary Sergeant At Arms of the Tennessee Senate. In 1975 was the Colonel Aide de Camp on the Governor's staff and a 1976 member of the West Tennessee Democratic Caucus. He worked for such statesmen as Congressman Robert ``Fats'' Everett, Congressman Ed Jones, Senator Jim Sasser and Senator and Vice President Al Gore. He also worked for Tennessee Governors Frank Clement, Bufford Ellington, Ray Blanton, Ned McWhether and Phil Bredsen. Robert has also worked for members of the Tennessee General Assembly, including his son, Paul Phelan, who served for 10 years as a state representative. Mr. Speaker, please join Robert's friends, family and me as we recognize his dedication and service to our community.

Mr. TANNER

Mr. TANNER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the extraordinary life and accomplishments of Ralph R. ``Ronney'' Snell, CPO, FAAOP, who passed away in Memphis, Tennessee, on May 11. Mr. Snell's death is a great loss to his family, his friends and members of the Orthotic & Prosthetic field. Ronney dedicated his career to improving the quality of life for his patients and contributed greatly to the success of many Orthotic & Prosthetic companies. As a third generation Orthotic & Prosthetic practitioner, Ronney presided over his family's business, Snell's Limb and Braces, Inc., for 16 years. Ronney served on the board of directors of Durr Fillauer Medical Inc., he served as president of Prosthetics and Orthotics Development Inc., and as director of research and development and production for Florida Brace, Inc. In addition, Ronney served as director of prosthetics and orthotics at Baptist Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee. Ronney founded his own company, C.F.I. Prosthetics & Orthotics in Memphis, and later worked as area manager for J.E. Hanger in Kentucky and Tennessee. Ronney earned his certification in prosthetics in 1957 and orthotics in 1975. He made countless contributions to his profession, and he shared his knowledge and experience with everyone he met by serving as president of every major Orthotic & Prosthetic organization. Ronney was president of the American Board for Certification in Orthotics and Prosthetics in 1969, and he helped organize the American Academy of Orthotics and Prosthetics. Ronney became the Academy's first president in 1971 and was named a fellow member in 2002. Furthermore, Ronney served two terms as president of the American Orthotic and Prosthetic Association, the first in 1974-1975 and the second in 1998- 1999. Perhaps, Ronney will be remembered most as a mentor and teacher. Ronney held a number of teaching positions to pass along his knowledge and expertise to others. He served as a clinical instructor at the University of Tennessee's Department of Physical Therapy; he was an assistant professor of orthopedics for the University of Tennessee's rehabilitation engineering program and served as an instructor of Orthotics & Prosthetics at Northwestern University. Ronney's life-long passion was dedicated to helping others and making a difference in their lives. His generosity and loving nature were evident in his active participation with St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and the donations he made in support of his ideals. With all the lives he touched and the contributions he made, Ronney earned a wealth of accolades, including American Orthotic and Prosthetic Association's prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award, the Academy's Titus-Ferguson Award for a lifetime of achievement and a special tribute created by American Orthotic and Prosthetic Association, American Board for Certification in Orthotics and Prosthetics, and the Academy to recognize his leadership in all three organizations. Ronney Snell leaves behind a long legacy of selfless servitude to the field of Orthotics and Prosthetics, and to his family and friends. Ronney set an example for all of us to follow, and he will be greatly missed. Mr. Speaker, I ask that you join me in honoring a distinguished public servant, an outstanding citizen and my friend, Ronney Snell.

Mr. TANNER

Mr. TANNER. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to honor an outstanding public servant, Tommy Green, who has dedicated himself to the people of Tennessee through his diligent services to the community of Alamo in Crockett County. Tommy's hard work helped earn him the Mayor of the Year award this year from the Tennessee Municipal League. Throughout his life, Tommy has found a home in public service. He began his honorable career by volunteering for the Alamo Volunteer Fire Department, then served as Alamo's first building inspector. Tommy continued to show his dedication for our community by serving as city alderman for 11 years. As a U.S. mail carrier, Tommy works one of the largest and most time- consuming routes in Alamo. Despite these long hours, Tommy has served as Alamo's mayor for the past 17 years. Since 1986, Tommy has been instrumental in helping Alamo receive seven federal grants to improve the development of the community. These grants allowed for construction of a new water treatment plant, two new wells and a 200,000-gallon water storage tank. Mr. Speaker, I ask you to join me in honoring a distinguished public servant, an outstanding citizen and my friend, Mr. Tommy Green.

Mr. TANNER

Mr. TANNER. Mr. Speaker, I was not going to speak, but I must say to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. McCrery), you know if you are using whatever confrontation took place between the gentleman from California (Mr. Stark) and the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. McCrery), that is absolutely not true. The policeman came to the library, one, before that happened; and, second, if the problem was in the hearing room between the gentleman from California (Mr. Stark) and the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. McInnis), why would the policemen come to the library to begin with? They came in there, and the gentleman may not know it, but we asked, Why are you here? They said, we have been given orders to remove you from the library. It had nothing, nothing whatsoever to do with what went on in the hearing room. That is the truth.

Mr. TANNER. I yield to the gentleman from New York.

Mr. TANNER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman.

Mr. TANNER

Mr. TANNER. Madam Speaker, it has been 797 days since President Bush and the Republican Party embarked on their economic plan for our country. During that time, the national debt has increased by $1,080,045,794,469. According to the Web site for the Bureau of the Public Debt at the U.S. Department of Treasury, yesterday at 4:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time, the Nation's outstanding debt was $6,720,371,180,827. Furthermore, in fiscal year 2003, interest on our national debt or the ``debt tax'' is $277,768,492,816 through June 30.

Mr. TANNER

Mr. TANNER. Yes, I think you will find agreement over here. But I will tell my colleagues something. I think that has been pointed out here on both sides of the aisle.

Mr. TANNER. Mr. Speaker, the Blue Dog budget did not increase taxes. What the Blue Dog budget did was it put some of the tax cuts that were supposed to go into effect into the future off the table. I have heard the Republicans over and over again say we need to go to a zero-based budget, and if you have a spending increase that is not as much as you want, that that is some kind of cut, that that is what the Democrats say. Well, you cannot say that a tax cut that is not yet in effect, if it does not go in effect, is a tax increase. You cannot have it both ways on that one. But let me just point out, I agree with the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Smith). Let me say what I think anybody, any reasonable, sane person listening to this would have to conclude, and that is this country is on an unsustainable financial glidepath. The Republican budget that you are so proud of borrows in the next 10 years, in your budget cycle that you passed without our votes, that is true, because it borrowed another $6 trillion; the interest difference that we will pay as Americans, the mandatory spending that we have, because your budget passed and not the Blue Dog budget, amounts to $421 billion over the next year. I will give my colleagues 2 examples that just happened in the last 2 weeks. You added $80 billion in borrowed money on the child care matter. Mr. Speaker, $80 billion at 4 percent interest is $3.2 billion a year in interest. By just that one bill, you spent $32 billion that night over the next 10 years. Then you had the medical savings account. You borrowed $174 billion for that bill. Just that bill alone is increased mandatory spending in interest over the next 10 years of $68 billion. You are spending money, you are just not spending it tonight. You are spending it over the next 10 years. Those two bills alone are $100 billion in additional spending, mandatory spending on interest. Now, you can talk about spending all you want, but spending is spending, whether it is on interest, which is the most wasteful spending of all, because no one gets anything. And, as the gentleman from Mississippi (Mr. Taylor) pointed out earlier, we are borrowing money from foreign nations who may or may not agree with us, and when they call those notes, we have a real problem. So I am going to quit. Let us agree to do this again. We all know we have a major problem. And unless we can agree that we are on an unsustainable financial path, I do not know where we go.

Mr. TANNER. Mr. Speaker, you all go for 2 minutes, and then we will go for 2 minutes.

Mr. TANNER. Mr. Speaker, you did not support the Blue Dog budget either that would have resulted in $21 billion less in interest over a period of time.

Mr. TANNER. The gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Kingston) referred awhile ago to mandatory spending. There is no more mandatory spending than interest on the national debt. What we are doing as Americans, not Democrats or Republicans, but as Americans who represent the American people here, all 435 of us, with the charts that the gentleman from Mississippi (Mr. Taylor) showed, we are building in a tax increase on the American people that is structural, because we are borrowing so much money today. You are spending money. You are just not spending it today; you are spending it tomorrow. And you are spending it in the form of interest, additional interest, on the debt, because that is mandatory spending. The interest has to be paid. And when you talk about mandatory spending, you are building in more mandatory spending and have in the last 25 months than any of the Democratic numbers there would indicate. So I just want to say, mandatory spending is a problem; but interest is certainly a part of that.

Mr. TANNER

Mr. TANNER. Mr. Speaker, I did not vote for the Democratic substitute because I thought it was too light on reform. The Republican bill is too light on substance. Mr. Speaker, we have a middle ground here, if we were only allowed to offer it; and it is what the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Stenholm) said. Basically, any meaningful reform in the Medicare or health care area, the crux of that matter is, one, a Federal backstop for rural America, which is not in the bill we are considering; and, two, some measure of cost containment. That is how we save the program. Neither one of these essential elements in my judgment is in the bill. If we could get this motion to recommit, we could fix it and we could come back here with strong bipartisan support.

Mr. TANNER

Mr. TANNER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the accomplishments of two outstanding leaders and dear friends, Grover and Betty Poteet. The service they have provided over the years resonates throughout our community. Both natives of Spring Hill, Mr. and Mrs. Poteet now live in Trenton, Tennessee. They have three children, Melinda Poteet Goode, Doug Poteet, and Melia Poteet Anderson. They are also the proud grandparents of Garner Goode and Crockett Goode. Together, Grover and Betty earned the 1999-2000 Citizens of the Year Award, presented by the Trenton Elks Lodge. Grover graduated from Spring Hill High School in 1955 and served in the United States Army from 1955-1957. Grover has contributed so much to his community, including his service as a member of the Gibson County Court from 1974-1994. Grover also showed his compassion for people by serving as a member of the National Guard Equal Opportunity Race Relations Council. He is currently chair of the Gibson County Lake/Water Board Authority and was recently honored with the Trenton Elks Dedicated Service Award for 2002-2003. Betty graduated from Spring Hill High School in 1957 and began working at the Milan Army Ammunition Plant, a career that lasted 45 years. Betty also served for 15 years as the parade director for the Trenton Teapot Parade, one of the biggest local festivals in Tennessee. Her tireless community work earned her the Tennessee National Guard's Hard Worker of the Year Award for 1994-1995. The Poteets have always been very active leaders in Tennessee, through heavy involvement in the Democratic Party at the local and state level. Their love for our democratic process helps make West Tennessee a great place to live. Time and time again, Grover and Betty Poteet have proven their love for our neighbors in Trenton and Gibson County. Their dedication has always been and will continue to be appreciated. Mr. Speaker, please join me in honoring the accomplishments and dedication of two fine leaders and my friends, Grover and Betty Poteet.

Mr. TANNER

Mr. TANNER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and honor an American patriot, Emmett Ledbetter of Jackson, Tennessee. Mr. Ledbetter recently received the Distinguished Flying Cross Award for his bravery and heroism while serving our nation as a top turret gunner and flight engineer during World War II. As a member of the 455th Bomb Group and the 743rd Bomb Squadron, Mr. Ledbetter flew the greater part of his 50 combat missions in the months leading up to the historic D-Day landing on the beaches of Normandy. Based out of an airfield near Cerignola, Italy, the 455th Bomb Group completed missions throughout Romania and Austria against the German occupiers. No stranger to military decorations, Mr. Ledbetter received the Presidential Unit Citation twice for missions in Austria as well as the EAME Theater Ribbon and the Air Medal honoring his military prowess throughout the War. On one such occasion, for which he has now earned the Distinguished Flying Cross, a bomb was found to be caught in the rear of the airplane on a return trip from a mission in Vienna. Facing a serious threat to the safety of the airplane, Mr. Ledbetter and another crewmember, in a moment of bravery, put on oxygen masks and entered the bomb bay, walking across a narrow catwalk at an altitude of 20,000 feet. Once inside, they forced the explosive off the rack, saving the airplane and its crew. Following this mission, Mr. Ledbetter was recommended to receive the Distinguished Flying Cross, but because of clerical procedures, his award was delayed. Now, almost 60 years after this heroic accomplishment, Mr. Ledbetter has received the recognition he deserves, having finally been awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross on February 13, 2003. Mr. Speaker, at this difficult time in our nation's history, I know you and our colleagues join me in thinking about and praying for our troops. I hope you will also join me in honoring a man who fought for this country in a different war to guarantee the safeties and freedoms we all cherish so much. We salute Emmett Ledbetter for his honorable career serving our nation and congratulate him on the long-deserved Distinguished Flying Cross Award.

Mr. TANNER

Mr. TANNER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding time to me. Mr. Speaker, I know I sound like Johnny one-note when I get up here talking about the debt and the deficit on everything that seems to come along. But I want to tell the Members this is serious business, what is happening. If Members want to talk about spending, we and this Congress are spending more money now than any Congress in the history of this country. We are spending it every year, beginning next year and into perpetuity, on interest. The difference between the bill the chairman has and what we tried to do to fix the problem like the Senate did in spending is $3.39 billion additional in spending, because that is what the interest over 10 years is on $80-something billion that is not paid for. Now, anybody who wants to get into an argument about spending, we are spending ourselves into oblivion. CBO just came out and said that the deficit this year will be $400 billion. They raised it $100 billion in a month. So $400 billion at 4 percent is an additional $16 billion next year just to pay the interest on the operation of this government that has lasted over 200 years. They sit here and they talk about spending. We are spending this country silly, and they are doing it by borrowing money that we have to pay interest on every year from now on. Last year we paid or accrued $336 billion in interest, for which nobody gets a job, nobody gets an aircraft carrier, nobody gets health care, nobody gets an education. It is gone. It is payment on past consumption that we either did not have the courage to ask people to pay for, or we did not have the guts to cut the programs that need cutting. Members want to talk about spending; let us talk about it. Here is $30 billion right now that we can save if Members want to accept what we have done with the motion to recommit.

Mr. TANNER

Mr. TANNER. Mr. Speaker, I wish to affirm my unwavering support for H. Con. Res. 177 and H. Res. 201, which this House of Representatives passed in tribute to the men and women who serve our nation, their families, and those businesses and other community members who have supported them through this difficult time in our nation's history. The purpose of House Concurrent Resolution 177 is ``recognizing and commending the members of the United States Armed Forces and their leaders, and the allies of the United States and their armed forces, who participated in Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan and Operation Iraqi Freedom in Iraq and recognizing the continuing dedication of military families and employers and defense civilians and contractors and the countless communities and patriotic organizations that lent their support to the Armed Forces during those operations.'' This body also passed, by a unanimous vote, House Resolution 201, ``expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that our Nation's businesses and business owners should be commended for their support of our troops and their families as they serve our country in many ways, especially in these days of increased engagement of our military in strategic locations around our Nation and around the world.'' Tennessee has long been proud of its military heritage, having been nicknamed the ``Volunteer State'' when thousands of Tennesseans agreed to serve in the War of 1812. There are more than 14,000 men and women serving in the Tennessee National Guard under the leadership of Tennessee Adjutant General Gus Hargett. More than 20,000 additional troops are stationed at Fort Campbell Army Base, which straddles the border between Tennessee and Kentucky. Fort Campbell troops, including the 101st Airborne Screaming Eagles, and Guard members and reservists from our state have served proudly in Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. I am proud to represent Naval Support Activity Mid-South in Millington, Tennessee. Under the direction of Captain Helen Dunn, this unit is very important to the operations of the United States Navy. Our district in Tennessee also includes the Milan Army Arsenal, whose facilities help manufacture much of the ammunition used by the United States Army. Tennessee has many such military and military-support institutions and is home to more than 500,000 military veterans who have served our nation honorably. Our troops and their families are to be commended and thanked for the sacrifices they have made to protect our nation. Please join with me, Mr. Speaker, in expressing gratitude for employers who have made sacrifices to allow Guard and Reserve troops to leave their permanent positions to serve our country. We are also appreciative of those civic and community leaders who have come together to support our men and women in uniform and their families at this difficult time in our nation's history. In Tennessee, our communities have come together to show their patriotism and their appreciation for those who are making sacrifices to protect us all. Mr. Speaker, I ask that you join me in praising the passage of House Concurrent Resolution 177 and House Resolution 201, saluting our troops, their families, our military-support staff, and community leaders who have shown their appreciation to the men and women who are performing their duty to protect our country.