Lynn Westmoreland

Mr. WESTMORELAND

Mr. WESTMORELAND. Mr. Speaker, some of our military have been sent emails telling them not to eat or drink in front of their Muslim brothers who are with them during Ramadan. I have never heard the military come out and say don't eat leavened food in front of your Jewish colleagues during Yom Kippur or Passover. I have never heard the military put out something such as be careful what you are eating in front of your Christian brothers during Lent because they may have chosen to do without. Last Christmas, soldiers at Camp Shelby in Mississippi were told during a diversity briefing that they could not use the word ``Christmas.'' A VA hospital in Texas refused to accept holiday cards from boys and girls because the cards mentioned ``Christmas'' or ``God bless you,'' and a nativity scene near a lake on Shaw Air Force Base in South Carolina was removed after someone complained. So you might understand why Ron Crews, executive director of the Chaplain Alliance for Religious Liberty, is a bit surprised by the Pentagon's recent behavior. There is a good Biblical word for this: hypocrisy.

Mr. WESTMORELAND

Mr. WESTMORELAND. Mr. Speaker, I would like to welcome today Pastor George Dillard to the U.S. House floor. I am proud that he hails from Georgia's Third Congressional District. I have known Pastor Dillard; his wife, Renee; and their three children, Tiffany, Alexis, and Stewart, for many years. They are very good friends. He is a godly man, serving as senior minister at the Peachtree City Christian Church, and has touched many souls and hearts through his ministry and his book, ``Seven Things that God Desires for Us.'' This morning, I had a chance to visit with George and his son. I am thankful that they traveled all the way from the Third District of Georgia to share God's message with us today in the U.S. House of Representatives. I hope the faithful message that he gave today will remind us of our true purpose here in Washington and that it helps carry our Nation through the week because Lord only knows that we need it. Thank you again, Pastor Dillard. We appreciate your friendship and your sermon this morning.

Mr. WESTMORELAND

Mr. WESTMORELAND. Mr. Speaker, it is with great honor that I rise today to recognize Delta Air Lines as they celebrate the 85th anniversary of commercial service and the grand reopening of the Delta Flight Museum at its world headquarters: Delta began its first service from Atlanta on June 12, 1930, just one year after its first passenger flight on June 17th, 1929, Delta, Atlanta's hometown airline, operates service to more than 200 destinations in the world, Delta is the world's largest hub at the world's busiest airport, employing more than 30,000 employees in Georgia, Delta is the largest private employer in both the City of Atlanta and the State of Georgia, a historic cornerstone of economic development and job creation, Delta has set the standard in Georgia for community contribution as a company with a rich history of employees putting countless hours of volunteerism back into community and local organizations, It is with great pride that I congratulate Delta on 85 years of service to Georgia and others worldwide.

Mr. WESTMORELAND

Mr. WESTMORELAND. Mr. Speaker, I come before you today to recognize addition of the 2015 Viking VI Side-By-Side production at Yamaha Motors Manufacturing plant in Newnan, Georgia. This is a momentous occasion for Yamaha Motors and for Georgia, as Newnan is home to the Yamaha Motor Manufacturing Corporation facility. Since 1986, Yamaha Motors has helped to grow Georgia's economy with quality manufacturing, more jobs, and a deep commitment to improving our community. Their production keeps over 1,350 Georgians employed and are expected to add over 300 additional jobs over the next few years. Yamaha Motor Manufacturing Corporation's continued success led to a $250 million investment over the last thirteen years, making Newnan, Georgia Yamaha's worldwide hub for ATV/SxS production and distribution. Yamaha's achievements showcase how great Georgia is for manufacturing and business, and I thank them for their commitment to improving our district and state's economy. I am honored that the Yamaha Motor Manufacturing Corporation calls Georgia's Third District home and look forward to sharing many more milestones with them in the future.

Mr. WESTMORELAND

Mr. WESTMORELAND. I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Chair, a subsidiary of the Norway-based Norwegian Air Shuttle, NAS, Norwegian Air International, is seeking to operate as an Irish airline and plans to conduct overseas flights from Europe to the U.S. NAI has been granted an Irish Air Operator's Certificate, but still has an application for a foreign air carrier permit pending with the U.S. DOT. It appears that the NAI plans for its pilots to work under individual employment contracts that are governed by Singapore law that contains wages and working conditions substantially inferior to those of NAS's Norway-based pilots. These contracts will be with a Singapore employment company that will rent the pilots to NAI. Although it seeks to become an Irish airline, it appears that NAI will not be operating air transportation services from Ireland. This raises a question about how regulatory oversight of NAI's operations will be conducted. The United States has the highest, most competitive airline industry in the world, the safest regulations, and so, I hope that we will adopt this DeFazio-Westmoreland amendment.

Mr. WESTMORELAND

Mr. WESTMORELAND. Madam Chair, I want to thank the gentleman for yielding. As the gentleman stated, we have no problem with the services that the Legal Services Corporation offers to the poor and to our veterans. What we do have a problem with is the fact that they are targeting our farmers, especially in Georgia. We have brought this to the attention of Legal Services Corporation more than one time. We feel like some of the tactics that are being used on our farmers are not the right way and not the intent of what the Legal Services Corporation is trying to do. If we look at the indigent here, both civil and criminal, for this country, including State funds, local funds, from lawyers' interest trust funds, and other funds, we spend $5.7 billion a year in indigent defense. And so the point is, we believe in giving the poor representation. We just don't agree in the manner that it is being done. We hope that, through this amendment, attention will be brought to that and there can be work on all sides to make sure that the intent of the Legal Services Corporation is to do what it was intended to do--to not go out and solicit clients, but to help the poor. I admire them for the help that they have given all the veterans across this great country, but at some point you have to draw a line. I think this amendment sends a clear message to Legal Services that we want to get their attention and we want them to act appropriately, especially as far as our agriculture goes. These people work very hard every day to produce our food, and we do not need to take advantage of them in the situation that we have now.

Mr. WESTMORELAND

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

Mr. WESTMORELAND. Mr. Chairman, I rise today to offer my amendment to ensure that the C-17 aircraft stays in flight and provides our troops with the same reliability it has provided for the last 20 years. Tonight, I join my friend, Mr. Courtney from Connecticut, in offering this amendment. We want to ensure that this program is sustained and will continue in the best possible way, and right now, I seek a colloquy with the chairman of the Armed Services Committee, the gentleman from California. Mr. Chairman, the F-117 engine has a history of successful performance through a performance-based contract, and I believe that it is important that we keep these successful tenets available as we move forward in the next phase of a sustainment contract. While I support cost visibility in this performance-based contract, I believe it is important that we do no harm to the success of the program.

Mr. WESTMORELAND. I yield to the chairman of the Armed Services Committee.

Mr. WESTMORELAND. I thank the chairman for that.

Mr. WESTMORELAND. Mr. Chair, I now ask unanimous consent to withdraw my amendment.

Mr. WESTMORELAND

Mr. WESTMORELAND. Mr. Chairman, the differing House and Senate language in section 1051 should not be interpreted by the Army or any court as indicating that Georgia's request should be denied or delayed until States reach an agreement. While the conference report specifically references the ACF and the ACT basins, the House-passed language does not. Certainly other regions of the country with water concerns should pay close attention to what has happened with this section. What is your position regarding working out these disputes in future WRRDA legislation?

Mr. WESTMORELAND

Mr. WESTMORELAND. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 90 I had to depart DC to fly to Georgia in order to attend the funeral for a longtime friend. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''

Mr. WESTMORELAND

Mr. WESTMORELAND. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 69, I had to depart DC to fly to Georgia in order to attend the visitation of a funeral for a longtime friend. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''

Mr. WESTMORELAND

Mr. WESTMORELAND. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 67 I had to depart DC to fly to Georgia in order to attend the visitation of a funeral for a longtime friend. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''

Mr. WESTMORELAND

Mr. WESTMORELAND. Mr. Speaker, last fall we learned that the Department of Health and Human Services spent nearly $12 million dollars of taxpayer money for airtime campaigns to promote Obamacare. While this was a gross misuse of taxpayer dollars allocated to specifically target states that have opted out of Medicaid expansion, it was not an isolated event. For this reason, I joined my colleague from Missouri as the original cosponsor of H.R. 3308, the Taxpayer Transparency Act. This bill does just what it says--provides transparency when spending tax dollars earned by hard working Americans. My colleague's bill would require agencies in the executive branch to disclose any and all advertisements funded by taxpayers. This includes all mailers, brochures, tv and radio ads, emails, billboards, and posters. Both the House and Senate are required to disclose this information in franked mailing--so why are executive branch agencies not held to the same standard of transparency? Our constituents deserve better. To my colleagues, I urge you to pass this bill to hold the federal government accountable for waste and abuse of taxpayer money.

Mr. WESTMORELAND

Mr. WESTMORELAND. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 62. I had to depart DC early in order to arrive in GA in time to attend prior obligations there that would have been missed had I stayed in DC, due to the quickly deteriorating weather conditions in Washington and Georgia that eventually forced the closure of all the local airports in DC and Atlanta. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''

Mr. WESTMORELAND

Mr. WESTMORELAND. Mr. Speaker, I come before you today to honor 5 of Fort Benning's own soldiers who courageously put their lives in harm's way so that we may live free. Fort Benning is home to about 1,500 Rangers of the entire 75th Ranger Regiment. They are an elite group of soldiers who perform specialized operations for the Army. Currently, the 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, as well as Rangers of the Regimental Headquarters and the Regimental Special Troop Battalion are deployed. I have a deep commitment to Ft. Benning, and once these Rangers pass through Ft. Benning, Georgia, they become part of our state's family. On October 6th, 5 of these brave Rangers were part of a mission gone wrong. Sargent Patrick Hawkins, Private First Class Cody Patterson, 1st Lieutenant Jennifer Moreno, and Special Agent Joseph Peters were killed by an improvised explosive device while conducting combat operations in Kandahar Province, Afghanistan, and Corporal Joshua Hargis was seriously injured. These soldiers came to Fort Benning from across the nation. They are sons and daughters, parents, and spouses, and loved by many. Their loss is felt across our nation and we thank them for paying the ultimate sacrifice. As we mourn the loss of these four soldiers, I also want to give thanks for the life of Corporal Joshua Hargis. Cpl. Hargis was injured in the same mission on October 6th, and is pictured here beside me. This photo has been nicknamed ``The Salute Seen Around the World'' because it shows the strong character of an American soldier. After hours of surgery, Cpl. Hargis' Commander held a small ceremony in the hospital to honor Cpl. Hargis with the Purple Heart Award. Doctors, nurses, fellow Rangers crowded the room to watch him receive the award. Despite his injuries, tubes, and intense pain, Cpl. Hargis still saluted his Commander when his Purple Heart Award was pinned on his hospital blanket. This act of determination despite pain embodies all that is a Ranger. I want to thank these 5 brave Rangers--Sgt. Patrick Hawkins, PFC. Cody Patterson, 1st LT. Jennifer Moreno, Special Agent Joseph Peters, and Cpl. Joshua Hargis--for their service and sacrifice. Joan and I send our prayers to their families and friends. God Bless America and God Bless our troops.

Mr. WESTMORELAND

Mr. WESTMORELAND. Mr. Speaker, I come before you today to honor five soldiers, those attached to and those of the 75th Ranger Battalion, Fort Benning, Georgia. Fort Benning is home to about 1,500 Rangers of the entire 75th Ranger Regiment. They are an elite group of solider who perform specialized operations for the Army. Currently, the 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, as well as Rangers of the Regimental Headquarters and the Regimental Special Troop Battalion, are deployed. I have a deep commitment to Fort Benning, and once these Rangers pass through Fort Benning, Georgia, they become part of the State's family. On October 6, five of these brave Rangers were part of a mission gone wrong. Sergeant Patrick Hawkins, Private 1st Class Cody Patterson, 1st Lieutenant Jennifer Moreno, and Special Agent Joseph Peters were killed by an improvised explosive device while conducting combat operations in Kandahar province, Afghanistan, and Corporal Joshua Hargis was seriously injured. These soldiers came to Fort Benning from across the Nation. They are sons and daughters and parents, spouses, loved by many. Their loss is felt across our Nation, and we thank them for paying the ultimate sacrifice. As we mourn the loss of these four soldiers, I also want to give thanks for the life of Corporal Joshua Hargis. Corporal Hargis was injured on the same mission on October 6 and is pictured here beside me. This photo has been nicknamed ``the salute seen around the world'' because it shows the strong character of an American soldier. After hours of surgery, Corporal Hargis' commander held a small ceremony in the hospital room to honor Corporal Hargis with the Purple Heart award. They thought he was unconscious. Doctors, nurses, and fellow Rangers crowded into the room to watch him receive his award. Despite his injuries, tubes, and intense pain, Corporal Hargis still saluted his commander when his Purple Heart was pinned on his hospital blanket. This act of determination despite pain embodies all that is a Ranger. This is the heart of a warrior. This is America. We need not apologize to anyone for our strength and our greatness. I want to thank these five brave Rangers, Sergeant Patrick Hawkins, Private 1st Class Cody Patterson, 1st Lieutenant Jennifer Moreno, Special Agent Joseph Peters, and Corporal Joshua Hargis, for their service and their sacrifice. Joan and I send our prayers to their families and to their friends. God bless America, and God bless our troops.

Mr. WESTMORELAND

Mr. WESTMORELAND. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 572, I was unavoidably detained in Georgia and could not make it to Washington, DC in time to cast my vote. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''

Mr. WESTMORELAND

Mr. WESTMORELAND. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 571, I was unavoidably detained in Georgia and could not make it to Washington, DC in time to cast my vote. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''

Mr. WESTMORELAND

Mr. WESTMORELAND. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to support H.J. Res. 91. This past Sunday four of our brave soldiers were killed in Afghanistan by a roadside bomb. Those four included an Army nurse from Joint Base Lewis-McChord, an Army criminal investigator from the 5th Military Police Battalion in Vicenza, Italy, and two Army Rangers from Company B, 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, at Fort Benning, Georgia, which borders my Congressional District, and which I feel a deep commitment to. And earlier this week I was shocked and angered to learn that the Secretary of Defense and the President were withholding the Death Gratuity for the families of these fallen heroes. For those of you who do not know what that is, the Death Gratuity is a benefit payable to a designated beneficiary, in a lump sum of $100,000, for a death on active duty or inactive duty training, and Burial Benefits which provide up to $10,500 to survivors to cover expenses related to the burial of the service member. In order to prevent these kinds of delays in benefits, on September 29th, with my full support, the House passed H.R. 3210, the Pay Our Military Act. On September 30th the bill was passed by the Senate and signed into law by President Obama. Among other things, that bill was to ensure that during the shut down there would be funds available to provide pay and allowances to members of the Armed Forces, including reserve components, who are performing active service. The Congressional intent of the legislation was clear: to give the Department of Defense the authority to pay these very types benefits to the men and women of this great Nation who have sacrificed to preserve our freedoms. It is a shame that the President and Secretary of Defense are playing politics and not honoring the Congressional intent of the bill already signed into law. What is even more shameful is that as the Commander in Chief, President Obama is not honoring that role. As the head of our Nation's military, I find it incomprehensible that he has not ordered these benefits to be paid out no matter what. Congress has already approved these funds, but the buck stops with the President, literally. How can the leader of our military turn his back on those he swore to lead? It is for that reason I speak in support of H.J. Res. 91. This bill will ensure death gratuities and related survivor benefits will be paid out to those families who have given the ultimate sacrifice for our nation. I hope both sides of the aisle show the president today that he cannot play politics at the expense of our fallen service men and women, and their families, and give these brave soldiers the respect they deserve.

Mr. WESTMORELAND

Mr. WESTMORELAND. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 532, I was unable to cast my vote due to conflict which did not allow me to return to the floor in time to make the vote. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''

Mr. WESTMORELAND

Mr. WESTMORELAND. Mr. Speaker, every day now for the past 3 years, I have heard from the good people of Georgia's Third Congressional District about how expensive their health insurance costs have become and will become as a result of ObamaCare. On Tuesday, their fears of just how unaffordable this Affordable Care Act is became a truly bleak reality to them. If this train wreck of a law is truly affordable, then why have Georgians seen their premiums increase as much as 300 percent on the exchanges? If it is affordable, then why do 57 percent of Americans oppose ObamaCare? If this law is affordable, then why is Ruth from LaGrange opting to pay the penalty and forgo insurance because she and her husband can no longer afford to pay their family's premiums under this Affordable Health Care Act? I guess even if Ruth likes her plan, she really can't keep it. She was lied to. One thing supporters of ObamaCare always tout is that it will help those who are very sick or have preexisting conditions get access to affordable care. Well, let me tell you about Cindy from Newnan who is fighting a brave battle with cancer. Much to her surprise, she has been told by her doctor that under the Affordable Care Act, ObamaCare, some of the treatments in medicine that make a difference in her being sick just a few days instead of a few weeks will no longer be covered. What about someone who does not have a few weeks? What are they supposed to do? And how do we explain that to Cindy's children? You know it is a sad day when employers like IBM are left with no choice but to kick retirees off their health care plans. What a reward to those like David of Griffin who have given so many years contributing to their company's success. And it is not just hurting American families. It is killing small businesses, the economic engine of our country. I just got a letter from Dale in LaGrange, who is one of four owners of a heating and air conditioning company which self-insures their employees. In an effort to comply with ObamaCare, the Affordable Care Act, in 2011, the heating and air conditioning company saw their health care costs go up $38,000 compared to 2010. The same thing happened in 2012. Their costs went up almost $40,000 from 2011. This means they went from spending $115,000 on health care for their employees in 2010 to almost $195,000 just 2 years later. What is just as concerning is employers who have been forced by ObamaCare to increase their employees' premiums and no longer offer health insurance for spouses or children. This change has been a financial disaster for Melanie of Hamilton whose husband will no longer be covered by her employer, TSYS, a great company in my district and a stable source of jobs. For 3 years, we have seen the disastrous consequences of this supposedly Affordable Care Act, and in just 3 days since the exchanges have gone live, we have heard hundreds of stories similar to the ones I just told. Imagine how much worse things can become in 3 months. But listen, it's not just the lies we have been told, but it's the lies we're still being told--such as California reporting they had 5 million hits. Finally today, they confessed, they only had 655,000. As I have said time and time again, the easy solution is for the President and my colleagues on the other side of the aisle to join House Republicans and agree to a 1-year delay and defund, just like he has done delay for Big Business and his buddies. Why don't we do it for the American people? Why don't we put all of us in the same class rather than trying to divide this country? Why don't we do the delay? Give them time, if they can, to straighten out this mess and put everybody, small businesses, Americans, everybody, employed and unemployed, in the same class.

Mr. WESTMORELAND

Mr. WESTMORELAND. Mr. Speaker, they say a picture is worth a thousand words, so I'm going to show you some pictures today. This is a picture of the World War II Veterans Memorial being shut down. I want to find out who ordered these signs because these were up the very next morning. And plus, you know, what may be a Chicago sign painter that got this order, who gave him the order, and where did we get all the barricades. Here's another one. This is a park in Washington, D.C. You can see the kids and stuff playing. It's got a sign that it's shut down. So these things are normally open-air. They're open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. But yet, now they're closed. I wonder if the golf courses on our Federal property and our military bases are closed? It doesn't look like they are right now, but we'll see if we can't get them some barricades.