Lynn Westmoreland

Mr. WESTMORELAND

Mr. WESTMORELAND. Madam Speaker, in June, my hometown of Grantville, GA, lost one of its treasures upon the death of Mrs. Barbara Scruggs, who was an activist, a public servant, a devoted wife and mother, a patron of the arts and an American patriot. She was 75. Born in Pennsylvania, Barbara wasn't a Georgia native. She chose Georgia as her home and loved the state and Coweta County with the zeal of a convert. After graduating from nursing school in 1954, Barbara eventually served her Nation as a nurse in the U.S. Air Force in 1957 and 1958. It was during that time that she fell in love with a fighter pilot named William Gordon Scruggs, whom she married in 1957. They eventually moved to Coweta County and raised three children together there. Growing up in Pennsylvania, Barbara's parents had raised her as a Republican, but when she moved South, Georgia was conservative but it was a one-party state controlled at every level by Democrats. Barbara became a politically active Republican in Coweta County at a time when no one in Georgia had ever heard of such a thing. To paraphrase a country song, Barbara Scruggs was a Republican when being a Republican wasn't cool. She always followed politics closely and got involved. She took leadership positions in the Coweta County Republican Party and the Coweta County Republican Women's Club, handling the latter's newsletter duties for many years. Prominent in the Georgia GOP--described as a volunteer always willing to do more than her share--she was selected as a delegate to the 2000 Republican National Convention, where she proudly donned patriotic attire and donated to future first lady Laura Bush's book drive for local libraries. In 1984, she moved from activist to public servant. She ran for and won a seat on the Coweta County school board. As a board member for 12 years, Barbara saw the ``big picture,'' said former Superintendent Bobby Welch, adding that she had a passion for improving opportunities for students, faculty and staff. In Barbara's heart, politics had to share space with her love of art. She indulged this interest later in life, her husband said, as she found she had more free time. She became a big supporter of the Newnan- Coweta Art Association. In fact, she was attending a reception for an exhibition opening at the Centre for the Performing and Visual Arts on the night that she died. ``She died, if you have to go, under perfect circumstances, doing the thing she loved so much,'' her husband told the Newnan Times-Herald. Barbara Scruggs gave her all for her community. She'll be missed in Grantville and throughout Coweta County, but I consider this a personal loss as well. Throughout my career in elected office, I could always count on Barbara's support. My wife Joan and I have kept the Scruggs family in our thoughts and prayers this summer.

Mr. WESTMORELAND

Mr. WESTMORELAND. Mr. Chairman, this amendment would simply eliminate the $8.7 million for the Native Hawaiian Housing Block Grant program. The 2007 level was $8.7 million, and the President requested $5.9 million for fiscal year 2008. This would simply eliminate it. These funds, this Native Hawaiian Housing fund, has been funded since 2002. So far there has been over $37 million going to the housing fund. In the 2000 census, the Native Hawaiians, and there was approximately 750,000 Native Hawaiians, lived in homes on the island of Hawaii, the average medial value was $209,000. The Native Hawaiians that live in Georgia, and there is 2,200 of them by the 2000 census, their median value home was $111,000. These grants can only go to Native Hawaiians on the islands of Hawaii. I believe that this is probably unconstitutional in the fact that we are doing a set-aside for a racial group, and so I just wanted to point that out. It is a great opportunity to save some money. It is a great opportunity to look and make sure that we are all treated equally and that the 14th amendment of our Constitution is kept intact. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. WESTMORELAND

Mr. WESTMORELAND. Parliamentary inquiry, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. WESTMORELAND. Mr. Speaker, is it not true that having reported this bill back to the committee from which it was designated, that it could be brought back to the floor as early as tomorrow?

Mr. WESTMORELAND. Mr. Speaker, is it not true that, if indeed this motion passed, this bill could be reported back to the committee it was assigned to and that bill could be reported back to the House tomorrow?

Mr. WESTMORELAND. Further parliamentary inquiry.

Mr. WESTMORELAND

Mr. WESTMORELAND. Madam Speaker, it is my great honor to inform the House that three of my constituents in Georgia's 3rd Congressional District have won the Honor Medal With Crossed Palms, a distinction given the Boy Scouts of America to herald heroism carried out at extreme personal risk. These courageous young men put their lives on the line to save a friend, and one of them died in the rescue attempt. In July of 2005, during the onslaught of Hurricane Cindy, three Eagle Scouts, Brett Boot, Brock Gardner and Danen Clarke, were at a park in Peachtree City, Ga., with a small group of family and friends. After they helped a man dislodge his golf cart from rising waters, Danen' s cousin ventured into what appeared to be still waters near a flooded road and was immediately sucked under by an unseen rip current. Thinking that the cousin was pinned by a possible grate, the three Scouts waded in the dangerous waters to feel around for him with their feet. The cousin had actually been sucked through a 40-foot-long culvert located 5 feet below the road, which wasn't visible under the high water. The cousin was swept under the road, reappearing on the other side with severe cuts on his feet, but alive. Danen was then caught under the ferocious current, followed by Brock, whose one leg caught on the entrance of the 4-foot-wide culvert. Brett was behind Brock in the water and was able to secure him with his arms against the pull of the current. Danen's body was found the next morning in the stream that feeds into Lake Peachtree, caught in branches that prevented him from being swept into the lake. It is believed that Danen hit his head on a large piece of the culvert, knocking him out and causing him to drown. The awarding of the Honor Medal With Crossed Palms is as prestigious within the scouting community as it is rare. The honor has been awarded nationally only 199 times since it was created in 1922. The Boy Scouts of America have given out only four such medals this year, and I will have the great honor of presenting these awards at a ceremony later this month to Brock and to the siblings of Danen and Brett, the latter of whom is serving his church as a missionary in South America. The medals read: ``The Honor Medal With Crossed Palms presented by the Boy Scouts of America upon the Recommendation of the National Court of Honor to Bretton Boot, Danen Clarke and Brock Gardner for unusual heroism and extraordinary skill or resourcefulness in saving or attempting to save life at extreme risk to self.'' The courage and selflessness of these young men testifies to their character and to the unwavering values they learned from loving families, their church and, yes, from the Boy Scouts of America. Georgia's 3rd Congressional District proudly claims them as its own. I can think of no more deserving recipients for this award. The July 28th ceremony presents an opportunity to celebrate heroism and to remember and mourn Danen Clarke's sacrifice on that fateful day. Danan, Brett and Brock set an example for us all. They will serve as an inspiration for present and future generations of Boy Scouts in Troop 208 and throughout the Flint River Council.

Mr. WESTMORELAND

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

Mr. WESTMORELAND. Madam Chairman, when a student decides to go to college, many families gather all their financial records and sit down to fill out the free application for Federal Student Aid, or the FISA, form. To be eligible to receive Federal student aid, a student must meet certain eligibility requirements. Importantly, one of those requirements is that the student be a U.S. citizen or eligible noncitizen, basically, a legal permanent resident. They also have to have a high school diploma or a GED and be enrolled or accepted at a school that participates in the Federal Student Loan Aid program. Given these requirements, it would be expected that a citizen or legal permanent resident that is a high school graduate or GED holder and has been accepted as a student at an institution of higher education would be able to complete the FISA in English; however, the U.S. Department of Education clearly does not think so. I have a higher opinion of our education system than that, and I believe a student that meets these eligibility requirements will be proficient enough in English to complete this form in English. When I learned that this free Federal student application form is available for completion in either English or Spanish, I became concerned that others don't share my opinion of the capabilities of our education system. Even more disturbing is the presumption that the Federal Government would be subsidizing the college education of an individual that does not have the proficiency in English to fill out the form to get free Federal assistance. So, colleagues, my amendment is simple. It would prevent the Department of Education from providing or processing the free application for student loan assistance form in any language other than English. With the requirements for obtaining student assistance, it is not an imposition to ensure that our tax dollars go to students that are clearly ready to receive and achieve a college education. I urge my colleagues to support this amendment. Madam Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. WESTMORELAND. Madam Chairman, I offer an amendment.

Mr. WESTMORELAND. Reclaiming my time, I wondered how the other side would answer to this, and quite interesting answers. First of all, this doesn't have anything to do with K-12. And as far as you buying your phone, Mr. Chairman, as far as somebody buying a phone that's got instructions in three or four different languages, they may be sold in different countries. I don't have any idea. But the Federal Government didn't buy that phone for you to use. Now, here's the thing. We're talking about student aid, free aid going to someone who is fixing to go to college that is a legal resident here, either a citizen or a legal resident. All we're saying is if you're going to ask the American taxpayers to pay for your financial assistance, that you should be proficient enough in the language of this country to fill out the application. Now, you don't have to be a rocket scientist to figure that out. And we can throw all these other little things in there about the people that won't get to apply and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. It doesn't matter. All this amendment says is if you're going to ask the Federal Government to help with financial aid for your college education that we hope you succeed in, and that we want you to excel in, that you can at least speak the language of this country. That's all we're saying. This is a very simple amendment. There's been so much rhetoric over there. I guess, you know, evidently, they're taking this for something that it's not. Very simple, Mr. Chairman. Very, very simple. Do we want to make sure that our taxpayers' dollars go to students who are legal citizens of this country, who have a GED or a high school education, that are applying for financial aid to go to a college in this country to be proficient enough in English to fill the application out in English? It's very simple. I won't belabor this. And I know the chairman of the Appropriations Committee is trying to get as many of these amendments out of the way as you can. But I certainly hope that my colleagues, and especially all the colleagues who are interested in protecting the hard taxpayers' dollars of this country, and who are interested in getting as many students financial aid that need it, that have the best opportunity to go forward and succeed in their college education and spend the money wisely, that they would support this amendment. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. WESTMORELAND

Mr. WESTMORELAND. Sure.

Mr. WESTMORELAND. Mr. Speaker, is it not true that if indeed this motion passed, this bill could be reported back to the respective committee through which it was designated, and that the bill could be reported back to the House the very next legislative day?

Mr. WESTMORELAND. Further parliamentary inquiry, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. WESTMORELAND. Is it not true that this bill could be reported back the next legislative day?

Mr. WESTMORELAND. Mr. Speaker, I have a parliamentary inquiry.

Mr. WESTMORELAND. Being part of that fringe, I am proud of the fringe.

Mr. WESTMORELAND. You are part of a fringe, somewhat of a fringe.

Mr. WESTMORELAND. You know, I have listened to you many nights and I respect you, because I really believe that you are a true believer in what you are saying. Let me just say this, that I am part of that fringe.

Mr. WESTMORELAND. I think that if the Federal Government is going to spend money on education, that they need to send it to the State as a block grant for the State Department of Education to spend in their local districts.

Mr. WESTMORELAND. I want to thank my friend for yielding. Mr. Chairman, this would almost be sad if it really wasn't so comical. I think what a lot of folks are witnessing today is some more smoke and mirrors, another magic show that they may have seen somewhere. We have the chairman of the Appropriations Committee who said that the President's budget would spend 48 percent less this year on education and some other things that he mentioned than 1980, but yet they talk about what kind of spending spree we are on. I can't imagine what kind of spending spree the Democratic majority must have been on in 1980. Let me say this. We keep hearing a lot of history lessons, a lot of history in here. For some reason we don't want to talk about the future. But we keep hearing about the $57 billion from the people in this country that make over $1 million. Now, I really don't know if that's true or not. I am going to assume the chairman of the Appropriations Committee knows if that's true or not. But it's almost like he sounds mad that he can't get his hands on somebody else's money. He says, you know, we can't get that $57 billion, and we want to spend it. I am mad about it. You know what? We are spending too much money on the war on terror. Well, look, I have only been here 3 years, but I know one thing. I know that the chairman of the Appropriations Committee and the Democratic leadership over there can stop this war today, today. They got 232 votes. They control the purse strings, they can stop it today. The supplemental budget that we passed that our leader talked about was $20 billion more than the President requested. The chairman of the committee said, you know what, I would spend $10 billion more. What's stopping him? He is already spending $11 billion more. What's stopping him from spending $10 billion more. Because you know why? I think they are afraid to tell you that these things that they are investing in, that's what they like to call spending taxpayers' dollars. The things that they are investing in is coming out of the American people's pocket. They are making investments for the people of this country that they don't even have any say in. It's time we wake up.

Mr. WESTMORELAND. I think that the Federal Government, if they want to fund K-12, it should be in block grants to the local school districts for them to be able to spend the money to the needs of their local school districts and the needs of the State.

Mr. WESTMORELAND

Mr. WESTMORELAND. Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman yield?

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

Mr. WESTMORELAND. I would like to recognize my good friend from New Jersey.