Frank Wolf

Mr. WOLF

Mr. WOLF. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the service to the community of Mr. James E. Mitchell, as he assumes the presidency of the Winchester, Virginia, chapter of the Lions Club. Mr. Mitchell is a retired school teacher who has dedicated his career to public service. As the first African American president of the Winchester Lions Club, he will work with local agencies and residents to provide services to those with sight and hearing impairments as well as providing scholarships to local high school students. In his 35 years as an educator, Mr. Mitchell also served his community as an active member of the Lions Club. He has held numerous leadership positions in his 20 years as a member of the organization. Mr. Mitchell is also a Melvin Jones Fellow, a highly honored humanitarian award in the Lions Club given only to those who demonstrate a strong record of community service. He has also participated in numerous ``White Cane'' events to aid the visually impaired. Mr. Mitchell is a valued member of not only the Lions Club, but the entire Winchester community which he has served for close to four decades. It is my pleasure to recognize him today.

Mr. WOLF

Mr. WOLF. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the fifth anniversary of the ``Beat the Odds'' program in Loudoun County, Virginia. I am honored to recognize this important program in the 10th District of Virginia. ``Beat the Odds'' is a national scholarship program that was initiated by the Children's Defense Fund in 1990 to celebrate the positive potential of young people and further their dreams of higher education. In 2004, several organizations in Loudoun County came together to organize the Loudoun chapter of ``Beat the Odds.'' These organizations include: the Bar Association, the Department of Mental Health, Mental Retardation and Substance Abuse Services, the Department of Family Services, the Sheriff's Office, Juvenile Court Services, the Public Defender's Office, and the Commonwealth Attorney's Office. Since the first awards were given in 2005, the Loudoun Chapter has presented over $40,000 in scholarships and merit awards to 18 deserving high school seniors from across Loudoun County. These young people have overcome tremendous challenges and obstacles in their daily lives to become role models in their communities. Their drive to succeed and inner strength make them truly remarkable individuals. Each May, awardees are honored and recognized in a ceremony at the Old Courthouse in Leesburg. I had the privilege of attending this year's ceremony, which was held on May 28. This year's honorees were: Breon Earle, Broad Run High School; Ahsanul Haque, Dominion High School; Joseph Williams, Dominion High School; Marlen Santos, Loudoun Valley High School, and Jessica Murray, Loudoun Valley High School. I ask that my colleagues join me in congratulating these outstanding students and recognize their achievements, as well as the continuing legacy of ``Beat the Odds'' in Loudoun County.

Mr. WOLF

Mr. WOLF. Mr. Speaker, I have a chart showing that this country is pretty much facing bankruptcy. We have $11 trillion of debt. Traditionally, it has been the practice around here, whether Republican or Democrat, to have open rules whereby Members can offer amendments regarding whatever they see fit. The American people realize that we're living in trying economic times, and rightfully, they expect their elected officials to evaluate different spending programs to see whether they should be for them or against them. If we cannot even come up with a fair process to debate annual spending bills, there is very little hope. There is very little hope, there is very little hope for this country to deal with this. There is $56 trillion of debt. There is $11 trillion owed to the Chinese and to the Saudis. The bankruptcy system is coming. We should go back to the Rules Committee and report out the original bill to allow any Member to offer any amendment. Otherwise, what you're going to do to this process--and I've been here for a few years--is radicalize it whereby nobody will feel they have any investment in this bill. So I urge the defeat of this bill. Send it back. Have an open bill whereby any Member, Republican or Democrat, can offer any amendments they want to. Otherwise, we will never resolve this issue of $11 trillion, and the next time we come here, it will be $12 trillion.

Mr. WOLF

Mr. WOLF. I ask unanimous consent to claim the time, but I am not in opposition.

Mr. WOLF. I have no objection, and I just yield back the balance of the time.

Mr. WOLF. Mr. Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. WOLF. Mr. Chairman, I strike the requisite number of words.

Mr. WOLF. Mr. Chairman, as the ranking member on the committee, I feel an obligation just to make a comment to kind of put things in perspective, particularly as the American people are watching, because I think what we're doing today is setting a very bad and a dangerous precedent. I've been around the House for a while, and I've been involved in debates on scores of appropriations bills. Traditionally, whether it's been Democrats or Republicans in the majority, we've had open rules on spending bills, and a respectful working relationship across the aisle; and that's the way it should be, and that's what the American people expect, a cooperative attitude and the opportunity for full scrutiny of how their tax dollars are being spent. I didn't like the preprinting requirement for amendments that the majority instituted to start the appropriations process on the floor this session with the Commerce-Justice-Science bill. I supported an open rule so that every Member could have the opportunity to review the entire bill, and if there were programs that Members believed could be cut, then we could debate that amendment and the House could work its will. So we started the process late last night to debate the preprinted amendments. And 21 minutes into the amendment debate, the chairman of the committee pulled the plug on that process and on the Members who, really, in good faith, followed the instructions of the preprinting. They went up; they did everything that was asked of them. The rules, Mr. Chairman, were then changed in the middle of the night, and now we have even a more controlled process. Members on my side, and I think if you kind of do unto others as you would have them do unto you can think, if you were in that situation and had gone through the same thing the guys on our side, Members on our side, how you would feel. Members on my side have the right to have their voice heard and offer amendments to control spending. Members on both sides had substantive, thoughtful amendments. Members on my side have the right to have their voice heard and offer amendments, whatever they may be, to control spending or whatever. Members on both sides also have substantive and thoughtful amendments that were germane and in order, and now those Members have lost the opportunity to offer them. For example, Mr. Rogers from Michigan, who was an FBI agent, who went to Afghanistan, God bless him for taking the time for the oversight, who serves on the Intelligence Committee, had a very important amendment regarding an apparent policy initiative by this administration, to expand the practice of reading Miranda rights to detainees in the custody of the U.S. Armed Forces in Afghanistan. It's called global justice. Mr. Rogers wanted to talk about that and offer an amendment. And whether we would pass it or not, he had every right to do so. And now Mr. Rogers and other Members have legitimate concerns about such policies. He simply wanted the opportunity to offer his amendment and let the House vote. He complied with the printing requirement. He testified late last night, sat up here late into the night, till 12:30 or 1 in the morning. He testified at the Rules Committee; and yet, now, Mr. Rogers finds he is unable to even offer this amendment that deals with the whole fundamental issue of the war on terror, what's taking place in Afghanistan, and all these issues. Closing, this is a departure from the traditional open rules and the comity that has characterized the appropriation process over the years. If we can't even come up with a fair process to debate annual spending bills on this floor, how can we ever hope to ever, ever, ever find solutions to the big problems that this country has? I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. WOLF. Mr. Chairman, I claim the time in opposition, although I am not in opposition.

Mr. WOLF. I yield to the gentleman from Texas, Judge Poe, for 5 minutes.

Mr. WOLF. Mr. Chairman, we have no objection to the amendment. We support the amendment.

Mr. WOLF. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the requisite number of words.

Mr. WOLF. I yield to the gentleman from Iowa (Mr. King).

Mr. WOLF. I rise to claim the time in opposition to the amendment though I'm not opposed.

Mr. WOLF. Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. WOLF. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. WOLF

Mr. WOLF. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. (Mr. WOLF asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. WOLF. Mr. Chairman, I am pleased to join our chairman, the gentleman from West Virginia, in beginning consideration of H.R. 2847, making appropriations for fiscal year 2010 for the Departments of Commerce, Justice, Science and related agencies. The bill provides funding for programs whose impact ranges from the safety of people in their homes and communities to the study and exploration of space. The bill before the House today addresses a number of national needs and requirements, and I think it is important for the Record to show that I believe, and I think any fair-minded person would, to say that the chairman has done a commendable job in balancing the many competing interests and has put together a solid bill in a fair and evenhanded way. At times I have felt the minority has not been treated very, very fair, and I will say with the gentleman, we have been treated very, very fair, and I think it is important to make sure everyone knows that. We have not been foreclosed from anything. I also want to thank the members of the subcommittee for their help and assistance, including the ranking member of the full committee, Mr. Lewis, and the Republican members of the subcommittee, Mr. Culberson, Mr. Aderholt and Mr. Bonner. I also want to thank the staff on both sides of the aisle who spent long hours in putting this bill and report together. The majority staff: John Blazey, Tracey LaTurner, Dixon Butler, Adrienne Simonson, Diana Simpson, Darek Newby and Scott Sammis. And the minority staff: Mike Ringler and John Martens. And on my staff, Tom Culligan, and on the chairman's staff, Sally Moorhead and Julie Aaronson. Overall, the bill, as I said, includes important increases to priority programs, including the need to address violent crime, particularly crime related to drug trafficking and gangs; and the need to boost our Nation's competitiveness through more investments in scientific research and improving science, math in education. However, I believe we could have met the most pressing needs by prioritizing within the lower allocation. This allocation given to the subcommittee is $64.8 billion, which is $6.8 billion or 11.7 percent above 2009. This allocation allows virtually every agency, account and program to grow, and I believe it is more than a sufficient amount to address the highest priority needs. The rate of increased spending in the bill corresponds with the majority's overall budget blueprint, which increases discretionary spending by $77 billion over the current fiscal year. Since the other party took control of Congress, nondefense, nonveterans affairs discretionary spending has increased by 85 percent. This rate of spending does not represent a step toward restoring fiscal balance. There was an article today I think in Reuters mentioning that our Nation, if we continue the current course, will lose our triple A bond rating, it is the earliest date I have ever seen, by 2010. It is 2009 now. That means next year. So how we deal with that is really a tough, but an important, issue. Some highlights: for the Department of Commerce, the bill includes $13.85 billion, including an increase of $4 billion to conduct the 2010 Census. The chairman has included strong funding for trade enforcement, which I appreciate, particularly with regard to China and the full request for Commerce Department programs to enforce dual-use export controls and respond to cyber-espionage threats. For the Justice Department, the bill includes $27.5 billion, $672 million above the request. The FBI's operating level is funded at the President's request, which is necessary in order to continue current staffing operation levels, which also fund the urgent increases in counterterrorism programs. Too often we fail to recognize the critical and often dangerous work that the FBI is doing at home and abroad in order to detect and prevent terrorist attacks. This is incredibly important work, and the bill strongly supports those efforts while also providing necessary funding for the FBI to fulfill its traditional roles and address emerging problems such as mortgage and financial fraud, child exploitation, and the spread of violent gangs. On the gang issue, this bill includes a new $35 million initiative to fund the FBI's Safe Streets Task Force and ATF Violent Crime Impact Teams. This will fund new task forces and new positions on existing task forces in the areas, which is pretty much the entire country, plagued by gang violence. The bill increases State and local law enforcement accounts by $197 million. Despite this increased funding for SCAAP, the State Criminal Alien Assistance Program, the program is reduced to $300 million from the current level of $400 million, and the chairman, appropriately so I think, has drafted an amendment to increase SCAAP that I hope will pass with bipartisan support. In the area of science, the bill includes important initiatives in science competitiveness. Our country is falling behind. We have about 95,000 engineers working for the space program, and China has about 200,000. The previous administration launched the American Competitiveness Initiative, which included a commitment to double the funding are for basic scientific research over 10 years and also to strengthen education and encourage entrepreneurship. I am pleased that the chairman has done this and also that the new administration embraced this goal. For the National Science Foundation, the bill provides $6.9 billion, a 6.9 percent increase above the current year for research that will set the groundwork for the development of new technologies and science education that will ensure we have a well-educated and skilled workforce to improve competitiveness. For NASA, the bill includes $18.2 billion. This includes the full request for aeronautics, the shuttle program and the International Space Station, as well as funding above the request for NASA science and education. However, the bill freezes funding at the current level for exploration activities pending the outcome of a blue ribbon panel review of future options. The result of this cut is a funding level that will not be sufficient to sustain the current development scheduled for the next generation of space exploration vehicles and would result in severe disruption to the Nation's human spaceflight program. I look forward to the recommendations, as the chairman does, of the review panel being led by Norm Augustine, and to working with the chairman and other Members to ensure that the final bill will include sufficient funds to continue the U.S. leadership role in human spaceflight. Finally, I want to acknowledge the important language that is included in the bill regarding the release and transfer of Guantanamo detainees. This bill does not prevent the closure of Guantanamo. It seeks only to ensure in the process of carrying out the executive order that national security, the security of our communities and the security of our men and women in uniform overseas are the highest priority. The bill prohibits the release of any detainees into the United States. It also prohibits transfer to the U.S. for prosecution as well as transfers or release to other countries unless and until the administration presents a comprehensive report to the Congress on the proposed disposition of each individual. This report will detail security risks and measures to mitigate those risks and will include a certification that affected State governments have been notified in advance. Regarding transfers to other countries, the report must address the risk of recidivism. Some are going to Saudi Arabia and Yemen. Saudi Arabia has funded many of these radical madrasas up on the Pakistan- Afghan border, and Yemen has been the center of a lot of terrorist activities. The report must address the risks of recidivism and detail the terms of any financial agreements related to the acceptance of the individuals transferred. The language will ensure that detainees are not released into our communities, and it places important restrictions and conditions on future transfers and releases. It has become clear in the last few days that the administration is rushing to release and transfer as many of these detainees as possible before the will of Congress to place restrictions can be enacted. In closing, despite concerns about the overall levels of spending, the bill represents the chairman's best efforts to distribute the allocation he was given to the various competing requirements under the subcommittee's jurisdiction. I commend the chairman and I thank the chairman for his openness and his thoroughness to the minority. I would say that the chairman held a week of hearings on prison reform. We, unfortunately, have the largest per capita prison population in the world. They were the best hearings that I have seen held in this Congress. Based on that, and I want to commend Mr. Mollohan, based on that, the Council of Governments and the Pew Foundation will be putting on a major conference this fall that I am sure the chairman will be very much involved in to establish the best practices, because you cannot just put a man or woman in prison and lock them up and throw away the key without any job training and things like that. There was not a lot of coverage. I don't think The New York Times ever covered the story. I don't think many of the major papers did. But it was the best hearings in the time that I have been here, and I want to thank the chairman for his efforts and concerns. I think a lot of positive things will come out of that. Lastly, I am pleased to operate under an open rule today, and look forward to the consideration of the many amendments that have been filed and will be urging my Members on this side at final passage to support the bill. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. WOLF. I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Culberson).

Mr. WOLF. Reclaiming my time, Mr. Culberson is definitely the science man. I mean, he is the science guy. It's not debatable, and if we have an amendment, and he also is a Civil War guy too, but he is the science guy. I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Calvert).

Mr. WOLF. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Burton).

Mr. WOLF. Mr. Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Hall), the ranking member on the Science and Technology Committee.

Mr. WOLF. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Posey), who represents Cape Canaveral, who worked on the Apollo, who helped put the first man on the Moon, and who is a strong advocate for NASA and for the space program. He has advocated and has talked to me over and over about this.

Mr. WOLF. Mr. Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Price).