Ed Whitfield

Mr. WHITFIELD

Mr. WHITFIELD. I am happy to yield to the gentleman.

Mr. WHITFIELD

Mr. WHITFIELD. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to the Republic of Azerbaijan on the occasion of their 95th anniversary. The Republic of Azerbaijan has been helpful to the United States, committing troops to our efforts in Afghanistan and Iraq and providing airspace and the use of its airports for Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. Azerbaijan has also joined all 12 international conventions on counter-terrorism and they support regional cooperation to fight terrorism through local agreements and participation in NATO, the Organization for Security in Europe, and others. Azerbaijan also provides a key alternative route for the oil and natural gas supplies of Central Asia to reach Europe. Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleaques to join me in paying tribute to Azerbaijan's 95th anniversary.

Mr. WHITFIELD

Mr. WHITFIELD. Mr. Speaker, what began in 1968 as family members joining together to play in an old house on their farm in Metcalfe County, Kentucky, eventually grew to become the Grammy-winning group, the Kentucky Headhunters. Recognized by the Country Music Association, Academy of Country Music, and American Music Awards, the Kentucky Headhunters share elite company with other legends such as Bill Monroe, The Everly Brothers, and Loretta Lynn in the Kentucky Music Hall of Fame. Like several other leading bands, the road to success for this small- town group was paved with various stumbling blocks and changes in course, but eventually they found their way and in doing so established their own brand of music. In honor of this journey, quite fittingly, new signage will be unveiled today proclaiming Highway 640 in Metcalfe County ``The Kentucky Headhunter Highway.'' Also, in conjunction with this, Metcalfe County Judge Executive Greg Wilson and Mayor Howard Garrett will sign a proclamation declaring today ``Kentucky Headhunter Day'' in Edmonton/Metcalfe County. As business owners and residents throughout this community come together to celebrate this occasion, I too wish to recognize the accomplishments of band members Richard Young, Fred Young, Greg Martin, and Doug Phelps. Forty-five years after first assembling in that farmhouse in rural Metcalfe County, a permanent marker will now stand to remind travelers of the road to success for this enduring band. May it also seek to inspire others to follow their dreams and never give up on their own pursuits.

Mr. WHITFIELD

Mr. WHITFIELD. Thank you very much for yielding. And I would reiterate, once again, that the application to build the Keystone pipeline was filed on September 19, 2008. Since that time, over 15,500- and-some-odd pages of environmental studies have been conducted. As a matter of fact, the Secretary of State, who is involved because this pipeline crosses international boundaries between Canada and America--and by the way, if this pipeline was to be built only in America, it would have been approved a long time ago. The only reason it has not been approved is because President Obama has made a decision not to approve it. Labor unions support it. Every time we've had a hearing, the four international labor union presidents have come and said, We want this pipeline. Not one dime of Federal or taxpayer dollars will be in this pipeline, a $8 billion project, 20,000 jobs. We have the opportunity to be independent for our energy needs in America. The International Energy Agency said just recently that more oil will be produced in America by 2020 than even in Russia today. And with this pipeline coming in, the additional pipeline oil that will be coming from Canada, we have an opportunity to be independent even more quickly perhaps. Our friends on the other side of the aisle say, Well, one reason we are opposed to this is because this oil, when it gets to Port Arthur, Texas, will be exported. The head of the Department of Energy's Office of Policy and International Affairs wrote a letter just recently saying that there's no economic incentive for any of this oil to be going anywhere other than in America. They've also said that it will not reduce gasoline prices. In this same letter, the gentleman says, We expect Midwest gas prices to go down if we build this pipeline. So the American people support this pipeline. It'll produce jobs, it'll help control gasoline prices, and it won't be exported. I would urge everyone to support this important legislation today and pass the Keystone pipeline legislation.

Mr. WHITFIELD

Mr. WHITFIELD. I thank the gentleman. These are very rural areas. I will tell you that the Fish and Wildlife Service provides a great deal of protection and enforcement of broken laws in this area. Many of these people are quite familiar with each other, and I'm not going to be able to address the homeland security issue in detail, except to say that it is enforced. Many of the people who fish there through the fishing competitions and for the economic growth know each other. But on the safety issue, I would just say 14 drownings in 42 years around the dam itself, 881 in other areas, and so we're not asking that this be a permanent restriction. We are simply asking the Corps to work with the Governors, the Fish and Wildlife Services of both States, the Senate and House, and local county judges to address it in a more permanent way. So I would respectfully request that you approve the Senate bill, which would simply delay this for 2 years for additional study.

Mr. WHITFIELD. Chairman Shuster, I want to thank you and Ranking Member Napolitano for agreeing to bring this important legislation to the floor. I will tell you, last September the Army Corps of Engineers made a decision that at the 10 dams located on the Cumberland River, they would put up a barrier of fishing near these dams in the tailwaters. Despite opposition from the Governors of Tennessee and Kentucky, the Fish and Wildlife Services of Kentucky and Tennessee, Senator Alexander, Senator Corker, Congressman Jim Cooper, Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, Steve Fincher, myself, Rand Paul, Mitch McConnell and others--we wrote letters to the Corps. We had public meetings with the Corps. We sent petitions to the Corps. We had phone calls with the Corps, and asked them to delay the implementation, primarily because of the sequestration and the amount of money that it would take to put these barriers up, which would be almost $3 million. Despite our best efforts, and we had meetings at which 400 to 500 people attended, they refused to delay the implementation. So I rise today to support this Senate bill because it delays the implementation for 2 years. I want to thank the gentlelady for bringing up the safety issue. All of us are very much concerned about the safety issue. But I would like to point out that in the 42 years of the history of these dams on the Cumberland River in Tennessee and Kentucky, there have been 881 drownings in the collective lakes and waters not including the area immediately around the dam. There have only been 14 drownings--and any drowning is too many--but in 42 years around the dam where they are focused on, there have been 14 drownings. I might say that of those 14 drownings, five of them occurred on the banks; two of them were of unknown causes; three were because people were not even wearing life jackets; three were because they were wearing the life jackets improperly; and only one drowning occurred in 42 years where the person was wearing the life jacket properly. So I would say to the Corps, the real safety issue relates to the collective waters not around the dams. Of course, we all are very much concerned about protecting the homeland, homeland security, and I will tell you in these very rural areas of Tennessee and Kentucky where these dams are located, many people are out there fishing.

Mr. WHITFIELD

Mr. WHITFIELD. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express in the very strongest terms possible my disapproval of a pattern of conduct of the Obama administration that is of great concern to all of us, a pattern of conduct in which this administration rewards its friends and punishes its opponents. Now, when our Founding Fathers wrote the Constitution many years ago, there were some basic principles in that Constitution. One was equal protection under the law, and the other was protection from discriminatory practices. Well, we all know about the IRS being accused of going after groups that they disapprove of. Today and late yesterday afternoon, two more incidents arose that show that this administration is about punishing their opponents and taking care of their friends. The first incident revolves around the Environmental Protection Agency. There is a system in the Federal Government called the Freedom of Information Act in which individuals, groups, and other entities can request of the Federal Government to obtain information about regulations, things that the Federal Government is doing; and if the group asks for a waiver of fees to obtain that information, they can obtain the information free. Well, because of a lawsuit filed by the Competitive Enterprise Institute, we now find out that EPA routinely grants fee waivers to its favored left-wing groups who demand a more intrusive and powerful EPA, but systematically deny waivers for free information from any group that EPA disagrees with. In fact, the headline says that EPA gives information for free to groups it agrees with 92 percent of the time, but it denies fee waivers for groups that it disagrees with 93 percent of the time. We cannot afford a government that systematically goes against groups that it opposes and yet rewards groups that it favors. I want to give you another example that came about yesterday. More than 573,000 birds are killed by the country's wind farms each year, including 83,000 hunting birds such as hawks, falcons, and eagles. Now, nearly all the birds being killed are protected under the Federal environmental laws which prosecutors have used to generate tens of millions of dollars of fines and settlements from businesses, including oil and gas companies and electricity generators over the past 5 years. As a matter of fact, BP oil company was fined $100 million for killing and harming migratory birds during the 2010 gulf oil spill. And PacifiCorp, which operates coal plants in Wyoming, paid more than $10.5 million in 2009 for electrocuting a number of eagles along power lines in its substations. Yet this administration has never fined or prosecuted a wind energy company, even those that flout the law repeatedly. Instead, the government is shielding the industry from liability and helping to keep the scope of the deaths secret. So there is clearly a double standard in this administration. If you kill an eagle and you happen to be a private business or you are a power generator or you're an oil company or a chemical company, you're going to be fined. But if you're a wind energy company, even though the bird you killed may be protected under the Endangered Species Act, you're going to be protected. America will not stand for a government that rewards its friends and punishes its opponents in this discriminatory fashion.

Mr. WHITFIELD

Mr. WHITFIELD. I want to thank the gentleman from Kentucky for hosting this discussion about the importance of coal, and for all those who are going to participate in this discussion this evening. When President Obama was seeking the office he now holds, he visited San Francisco and he attended a meeting in San Francisco. And at that meeting he made the comment that if he was elected President, you could still build a coal plant in America, but he would bankrupt the industry. And guess what? He and his administration have made it very clear, despite their comments that they support all of the above in energy policy to produce electricity, they've made it very clear that they do not support the use of coal. The gentleman from Kentucky mentioned earlier that over 205 coal- burning plants have closed in this country in recent years. And this President's EPA recently came out with a rule proposal relating to greenhouse gas emissions, and that when they finalize that rule--they were supposed to have finalized it on April 13 and they did not do it-- but when they finalize it, it will be impossible to build a new coal- powered plant in America because the technology is not available to meet the emissions standards required by EPA. Now, let's think about that for a moment. We would be the only country in the world in which you would not be able to build a coal- powered plant to produce electricity. And we know that in China, they're building more and more every day, every week, every month. The same thing in India. And even in Germany, where they closed down their nuclear power plants, they're building more coal-powered plants. Now, what does that mean to America if we can not build a new coal- powered plant? My friend from Virginia was talking about, in Virginia, just about a year ago, they built one of the cleanest burning coal-powered plants in America. I was in Texarkana, Arkansas, in December. They opened up another clean-burning plant in Arkansas. But under these new regulations, you would not be able to build any plant, regardless of how clean it is. Now the sad thing about this is that we're losing jobs because of these regulations. But just as important, America is becoming less competitive in the global marketplace because it's increasing the cost of electricity, making it much more difficult for us to compete in the global marketplace. And the sad thing about it is that this is being done by regulators without any public debate. It's hard to believe that a regulation administered by EPA will prohibit the building of any coal-powered plant in America, once it's final, from that day forward, unless the technology is dramatically improved. And yet there's no public debate about it. This is a decision that should be made on the floor of the House of Representatives and on the floor of the United States Senate, not by a group of regulators who determine that they want to put coal out of business. Now a few of our friends were talking earlier in the 1-minutes about climate change. America does not have to take a backseat to anyone on a clean environment. In fact, our CO2 emissions in America today are lower than they have been in 20 years, and our other emissions are lower than they have been in many, many years because our Clean Air Act and our Clean Water Act are working. But let's not use these pieces of legislation to penalize the American people and lose jobs and be less competitive in the global marketplace. So I want to thank the gentleman for sponsoring this event. Let's be mindful of the importance of coal and producing electricity in America.

Mr. WHITFIELD

Mr. WHITFIELD. Mr. Speaker, in 1970, Congress passed and President Nixon signed into law the Horse Protection Act (HPA) for the purpose of ending ``soring'' that was occurring in Tennessee Walking Horse, Racking Horse, and Spotted Saddle Horse shows. The term soring refers to the application of blistering or burning agents, lacerations, sharp objects, or other substances or devices to a horse's limb to produce an exaggerated high-stepping show ring gait, by making it painful for the horse to step down. Since the passage of this legislation more than forty years ago, the act of ``soring'' has continued at an alarming rate. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has lacked the resources to send agency officials to every Tennessee Walking Horse, Spotted Saddle Horse and Racking Horse show. As a result, USDA gave Horse Industry Organizations (HIOs) the responsibility to train and license their own inspectors, commonly known as Designated Qualified Persons (DQP's), to conduct inspections at these events. The USDA's Office of Inspector General (OIG) recently conducted an audit of the Horse Protection Act Program, finding that trainers in the industry often go to great lengths to evade detection rather than comply with federal law and train horses using humane methods. The OIG made several recommendations, including stiffer penalties and abolishing the self-policing practices currently allowed under regulations, where HIOs are able to assign their own inspectors to horse shows. More recently, an undercover investigation showed that trainers continue to sore horses and enter them into shows undetected, even while the trainers are on federal disqualification. HIOs' inspectors are turning a blind eye to the soring of horses, despite the fact that they are licensed to enforce the 1970 law that prohibits this practice. These and other investigations show massive abuse throughout the Tennessee Walking Horse, Racking Horse, and Spotted Saddle Horse industries, demeaning the once highly-regarded sport and threatening jobs in these industries, as well as the economic activity associated with their shows that is so important to communities in my state and elsewhere. Therefore, the bill that I am introducing today, the Prevent All Soring Tactics Act of 2013, amends the Horse Protection Act of 1970 to direct USDA to license, train, assign, and oversee persons who are to be hired by event managers to inspect horses at Tennessee Walking Horse, Racking Horse, and Spotted Saddle Horse events for evidence of soring. The proposed amendment is narrow in scope and affects only a small number of horses belonging to one of three breeds that are subjected to soring. There are three components to the amendment. First, it will end the failed system of industry self-policing by having the USDA assign licensed inspectors to oversee the shows if requested by horse show management. Secondly, for the three breeds specified in the bill that have been subjected to soring, it will ban the use of certain devices associated with soring, but the bill exempts pads and boots used for therapeutic purposes. Lastly, it will strengthen penalties for those violating the law. The bill carries the support of the American Horse Council, the American Association of Equine Practitioners, the American Veterinary Medical Association, the Humane Society of the United States, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, several walking horse organizations, and others. I urge all my colleagues to join me in cosponsoring this common sense piece of legislation.

Mr. WHITFIELD

Mr. WHITFIELD. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to wish a very happy birthday to someone who has a long and distinguished record of service to our country and to the Commonwealth of Kentucky. This lady has spent a majority of her life connected to United States Army. At 80 years young, she currently serves as a civilian aide for the United States Army in Kentucky. Of course, I am referring to Mrs. T.C. Freeman who recently celebrated her 80th Birthday on March 10th. T.C. Freeman's life has revolved around our Army since 1941 when Killeen, Texas was designated the home of Camp Hood. She met and married her husband, Colonel Bob Freeman (Ret) when he was assigned to the 3d Artillery, 2nd Armored Division at Fort Hood. She and Bob have three children, a daughter Gil, and two sons William and Robert. For her efforts on behalf of Soldiers during Desert Shield/Desert Storm, T.C. Freeman was awarded Association of the United States Army's Citation for Exceptional Service. In 2002, she received their Anthony Drexel Biddle Medal, which is their second-highest award. She served as Tennessee/Kentucky Chapter President of the Association of the United States Army for two years, and as the Kentucky State President for two years. She also served four years as the 2nd Region President and now once again serves as a Kentucky State President T.C. Freeman is a life member of the Association of the United States Army. She is an honorary member of the 502nd, the 187th Infantry, the 327th and 506th Infantry Regiments. She is also an honorary member of the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment and of the 5th Special Forces Group. She holds the Anne Morrow Lindberg Award and the Honorable Order of Our Lady of Loretta for her support of Army Aviation and the Aviation Community. She is a Life Member of Army Aviation Association of America. Mrs. Freeman is also the recipient of Artillery's Molly Pitcher Award and Department of the Army Awards for Public Service and the Outstanding Civilian Service Medal. In 2010, she received the Daughters of the American Revolution's Medal of Honor. T.C. began the ``Welcome Home Flights'' after Desert Shield/Desert Storm and she has attended almost every flight following--from Kosovo and from other 101st Deployments, to include the recent Vietnam Veterans Welcome Home on August 16, 2009. Presently, she is welcoming home Division Units from Afghanistan and attends National Guard farewells and welcome homes. She is a supporter of Fisher House and the Wounded Warrior Programs. T.C. Freeman has visited our Warrior Heroes at both Walter Reed and Brooke in San Antonio. Since May 2005, T.C. has served as a member of the Executive Committee of the Governor's Kentucky Military Affairs Commission. The Commission keeps the Governor of the Commonwealth of Kentucky advised of conditions and needs of the installation. She was pleased to be involved last December in the event that named Governor Steve Beshear as an Honorary Screaming Eagle. She serves on the Board of Directors of the Fort Campbell Historical Foundation, the Hopkinsville-Christian County Military Affairs Committee, The Christian County School Superintendents Advisory and the Military Affairs Advisory Committee of the Chamber of Commerce, and she is a member of the Citizens for Fort Campbell and an Eagle Ambassador. T.C. Freeman is a regular attendee of area Veteran's organizations, VFW, DAV and the American Legion. Since being named a Kentucky Court Appointed Special Advocate, her efforts are not limited to Fort Campbell. She now actively supports activities of the Units at Fort Knox to include United States Army Recruiting Command and the 3rd Brigade of the 1st Infantry Division. Mrs. Freeman has also been faithful in her support of the National Guard, the Army Reserve, University and Junior ROTC Units. So, Mr. Speaker, I would like to call to the attention of this House T.C. Freeman's remarkable life of faithful service to our Nation's heroes. She is a personal friend, but more importantly a friend to every man and woman who wears our Nation's uniform. It is my honor to recognize her before this House and to wish her a very Happy 80th Birthday.

Mr. WHITFIELD

Mr. WHITFIELD. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I want to thank once again Mr. Kinzinger of Illinois and Mrs. Capps of California for this commonsense legislation. When you think about young men and women serving in the military and Iraq and Afghanistan and responding to a wide array of emergencies that they respond to and having visited the training programs that they have, we know that they are well trained. And yet some State licensing laws for EMTs vary. Many States do not recognize combat medics and other veterans' qualifications as applicable to the licensing requirement of the civilian health care system. Some States make exceptions for former military medics and allow them reciprocity and a chance to sit for the licensing exam without going through the usual training. But, as I said, many States do not. This legislation simply helps streamline State requirements and make allowances for returning veterans to enter the EMT workforce without unnecessary duplication of their training. And we all know the great demand for emergency technicians in our society today. This bill also provides for an annual report to Congress. It complies with CutGo because funding of the $1 million for the program is offset with funds from area health education centers of the Public Health Service Act. So, I am pleased to support this legislation and urge my colleagues to vote in favor of H.R. 235. Once again, I thank the gentleman from Illinois and all of those on the committee who brought this legislation to the floor. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. WHITFIELD. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 235) to amend the Public Health Service Act to provide grants to States to streamline State requirements and procedures for veterans with military emergency medical training to become civilian emergency medical technicians.

Mr. WHITFIELD. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous materials in the Record on the bill.

Mr. WHITFIELD. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise in strong support and urge my colleagues to vote for H.R. 235, the Veteran Emergency Medical Technician Support Act of 2013. At this time I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Kinzinger), a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee, who wrote this important legislation.

Mr. WHITFIELD

Mr. WHITFIELD. I want to thank Mr. Lujan, members of the committee, and certainly Ms. Esty for her involvement in this legislation and would urge all the Members to support this legislation. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. WHITFIELD. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous materials in the Record on the bill.

Mr. WHITFIELD. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. H.R. 316 would provide the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission with limited authority to reinstate two terminated hydroelectric licenses and transfer them to a new owner, the Town of Canton, Connecticut. The licenses are associated with the Upper and Lower Collinsville dams on the Farmington River in Connecticut. Both projects are under 1 megawatt each. This is important legislation that will certainly benefit the people in that area. I want to thank Mr. Lujan and others for working with us on this important piece of legislation. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. WHITFIELD. Mr. Speaker, we have no further speakers, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. WHITFIELD

Mr. WHITFIELD. We have no additional speakers.

Mr. WHITFIELD. I just want to say, in conclusion, how much we enjoyed working with both sides of the aisle on this issue. I want to thank Cathy McMorris Rodgers and Diana DeGette. The Nation will benefit from this legislation because, as has already been said, hydropower is a clean, efficient, abundant, and affordable source of energy. And I urge people to support this legislation. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. WHITFIELD. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. WHITFIELD. I yield the gentlewoman an additional 3 minutes.

Mr. WHITFIELD. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. H.R. 267 is the result of the bipartisan effort of Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers and Congresswoman Diana DeGette, both members of the Energy and Commerce Committee. They've worked long and hard on this legislation. It has great promise for increased hydropower development across the Nation, and we're delighted to bring it to the floor today. At this time, I would like to yield 2 minutes to the gentlelady from Washington (Mrs. McMorris Rodgers).

Mr. WHITFIELD. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 267) to improve hydropower, and for other purposes.

Mr. WHITFIELD

Mr. WHITFIELD. Mr. Speaker, tonight, in this House Chamber, President Obama will give his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress. Article ll, Section 3 of the Constitution requires that the President, whoever it may be, shall, from time to time, give to Congress information on the State of the Union. George Washington, the first President, addressed the joint session of Congress, but Thomas Jefferson and each succeeding President up until 1913 presented a written statement of the State of the Union to the House and Senate. So from 1801 until 1913, Presidents submitted a written State of the Union, and on April 8, 1913, Woodrow Wilson, like George Washington, addressed a joint session of Congress, and that has been the manner of our State of the Union by every President since, with the exception of Herbert Hoover. Today, I am asking for another little change in the State of the Union. I think that we should consider a requirement that the President, on a day that coincides with the State of the Union, also have the Federal Government make a formal declaration of national debt. My purpose in calling for the declaration is twofold: First, while information about the debt can be found, it is spread throughout a vast array of budget submissions, trustee reports, and other documents that are nearly impossible to navigate or to understand when trying to determine the total national debt and unfunded liabilities our Nation must pay now and in the future. And then the second reason, of course, is to elevate the issue to remind the American public the significant dangers of large government debt. As of today, our Nation's Federal debt exceeds our Nation's gross domestic product. What does that mean? Gross domestic product is used to determine the monetary value of all the finished goods and services produced in America annually, and it includes all of the private and public consumption, all of the government outlays, all the investments and all the exports, less the imports. Our debt is increasing so quickly that it really is difficult to give an exact figure of our national debt. Suffice it to say that it will, in the very near future, exceed $17 trillion. When I looked at the so- called ``clock'' on my way over here, it was approaching $16.6 trillion. Now, if you stacked $16 trillion one-dollar bills one on top of the other, it would extend more than 1 million miles, which would reach to the Moon and back twice. Now, former Speaker Pelosi said a few days ago that we do not have a spending problem. Now, I do not believe that most Americans would agree with that statement. Families throughout America must live within their means or suffer the consequences, and our government must live within its means or suffer the consequences. Many people say there are no real consequences, but all of us have seen the loss of jobs, the violence, the lack of economic growth in countries like Greece and Spain and other parts of the European Union. President Obama took office on January 20, 2009, and the Nation's total debt on that day was $10.6 trillion. Today, it is over $16.5 trillion. The President has drastically increased this country's debt in a mere 4-year span; in fact, it has increased by over 45 percent. However, it should be pointed out that he and he alone is not responsible for all this dramatic increase in debt. Every person that has served in the U.S. Congress in the recent past or today, House Members and Senate Members, are also responsible for the spending that we have approved. Also, those people who serve in the executive branch of government are also responsible. Just to give you a few examples, 9 or 10 months ago, the Department of Energy built about 12 new buildings over here on The Mall, across from the Jefferson Memorial, for a solar exhibit. It stayed there for about 10 months, and then it was torn down. No one really knows how much the debt cost. EPA, each year, gives grants to other countries, including China, to help them with their environmental problems at a time when we have to borrow money from China to meet our obligations. And then, as Mr. Jones mentioned earlier, in Afghanistan, we're spending $28 million a day. So I think it would be beneficial to the American people to prepare an annual declaration of the national debt to be made available to the Congress and the public. This would show the American people how much we owed last year, how much we owe this year, and what the projected debt is for the future.